Port Washington hasn't had much luck against Hartford recently, but that could start to change on Wednesday. The Pirates will square off against the Orioles at 5:00 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Port Washington took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past West Bend West 4-2. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last six times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Sam Hoeft was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He struck out ten batters over six innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one run and one double.
In other batting news, O'Neal Wright was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run and two RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Kyle Uselding, who went 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Meanwhile, while Hartford put up some runs on Monday, the same can't be said for Homestead. The Orioles blew past the Highlanders 10-0. The Orioles might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven games by six runs or more this season.
Not much got past Ayden Grulke, who gave up just three hits to keep Homestead off the board.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Joe Landgraf, who went 2-for-4 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run. That triple was his first of the season. Brandon Radermacher was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and one double.
Hartford always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .514. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Homestead only posted an OBP of .273.
Hartford is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 12 matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-5 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Port Washington, the victory snapped their losing streak at four games and leaves them with a 7-13 record.
Both Port Washington and Hartford just can't seem to miss. The Pirates have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.8 hits per game. However, it's not like Hartford struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.4 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Port Washington might still be hurting after the 12-5 loss they got from Hartford in their previous meeting back in April. Can the Pirates avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
