The Dunedin Falcons are taking a road trip to challenge the Northside Christian Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Tuesday, Dunedin earned a 5-2 victory over Northeast.
Cian Roche tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out eight over 4.1 innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in February.
On the hitting side, Aiden Sherifi was excellent, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Northside Christian had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 3.3 runs) and they went ahead and made it four on Tuesday. They never let the Celtics get on the board and left with a 1-0 win.
The result came thanks to Ronald Causby's shutout, as he gave up just five hits and racked up nine Ks. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up a single earned run in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Northside Christian saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ashton Cox, who went 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI. JD Howard also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Dunedin's record now sits at 9-10. As for Northside Christian, their record is now 13-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Dunedin has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Northside Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Dunedin was able to grind out a solid victory over Northside Christian in their previous meeting back in February of 2020, winning 9-5. Will the Falcons repeat their success, or do the Mustangs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
