The Ardsley Panthers will look to take advantage of their home field for the first time this season as they take on the Port Chester Rams at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Ardsley will roll into the game after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up two runs last Tuesday, then bounced right back against Sleepy Hollow on Thursday. The Panthers were the clear victors by a 23-1 margin over the Horsemen. The victory continues a trend for the Panthers in their matchups with the Horsemen: they've now won four in a row.
Jonah Kleinman made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Kleinman was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with five RBI, two runs, and one double.
In other batting news, Michael Depasquale was a standout: he went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, four runs, and four RBI. Another player making a difference was Hunter Hamlet, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with one home run, five RBI, and three runs.
Meanwhile, Port Chester came into Monday's contest having lost four straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They put the hurt on Mount Vernon with a sharp 13-2 win on Monday. The Rams' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Like Ardsley, Port Chester also got a great game from a two-way player: Billy Villanova. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over six innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits. Those seven strikeouts gave Villanova a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. That run was his first of the season.
In other batting news, Port Chester let Alexander Alvarez and Bryan Sachs run wild. Alvarez scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2, while Sachs scored two runs and stole three bases while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances. Those three stolen bases gave Sachs a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Roy Morris III, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Ardsley now has a winning record of 2-1. As for Port Chester, they picked up their first road victory, bumping their record up to 2-4.
Port Chester's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Ardsley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .350. It's a different story for Port Chester, though, as they've only averaged .240. Will they be able to contain Ardsley's hitters?
Everything went Ardsley's way against Port Chester when the teams last played back in June of 2021, as Ardsley made off with an 11-3 win. Do the Panthers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Rams turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
