The Upper Dauphin Area Trojans will take on the Newport Buffaloes at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.
Upper Dauphin Area barely beat East Juniata the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Upper Dauphin Area came out on top against East Juniata on Saturday by a score of 14-4 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game). The victory continues a trend for the Trojans in their matchups with the Tigers: they've now won six in a row.
Karson Engle made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out six batters over six innings while giving up four earned runs off five hits. Engle was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 3-for-5. That run was his first of the season.
In other batting news, Colt Bellis was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. Those runs were his first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Isaac Jackson, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Upper Dauphin Area always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .575. The last time their OBP was this high was back in May of 2024.
Meanwhile, Newport waltzed into their contest on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They put the hurt on the WolfPack with a sharp 12-2 win. That's two games straight that the Buffaloes have won by exactly ten runs.
Aden Banks spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on five hits and racked up eight Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Landon Zaring, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with three runs, one triple, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Zachary Bates, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Newport's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 4-1. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. As for Upper Dauphin Area, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-3.
Upper Dauphin Area came out on top in a nail-biter against Newport in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, sneaking past 4-2. Does Upper Dauphin Area have another victory up their sleeve, or will Newport turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
