The Saratoga Falcons are taking a road trip to take on the Prospect Panthers at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.
Saratoga fought the good fight in their extra-innings match against Monta Vista on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Matadors by a score of 5-4. The loss was just more heartbreak for the Falcons, who fell 7-5 when the teams last met back in March.
Doug Bettinger
| 04/22/25 vs Lynbrook | 4 |
| 04/03/25 vs MacDonald | 3 |
| 04/24/25 vs Monta Vista | 2 |
| 03/27/25 @ Lynbrook | 2 |
| 03/11/25 @ MacDonald | 2 |
| + 5 more games |
Doug Bettinger made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two doubles. He has become a key player for Saratoga: the team is 4-2 when he posts at least two runs, but 0-8 otherwise.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Prospect faced off against Lincoln on Thursday. The Panthers fell 5-2 to the Lions. The Panthers haven't had much luck with the Lions recently, as the team has come up short the last four times they've met.
Prospect saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kyle Pollace, who went 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Another was Dale Gurtler, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one double.
Saratoga has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 4-10 record this season. Those defeats can't be blamed on the team's hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.5 runs over those games. As for Prospect, their loss dropped their record down to 10-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Saratoga has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Prospect struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Saratoga took their victory against Prospect when the teams last played back in March of 2023 by a conclusive 7-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Falcons since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
