vs
| 04/25/25 - Home | 6-5 W |
| 04/19/24 - Home | 8-6 W |
| 04/28/23 - Away | 9-6 W |
| 05/10/17 - Away | 6-12 L |
| 05/09/16 - Home | 1-2 L |
| 05/03/16 - Home | 1-2 L |
Eastside and West Milford are an even 3-3 against one another since May of 2016, but likely not for long. The Ghosts will head out to take on the Highlanders at 4:15 p.m. on Friday. Eastside has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the contest with four straight defeats, while West Milford will come in with four straight victories.
Eastside fought the good fight in their extra-innings matchup against Clifton on Wednesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Mustangs by a score of 6-5.
Samuel Pena was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-5 with one home run and two RBI. That home run was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Jeremy Balcacer, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Meanwhile, West Milford posted their closest win since May 27, 2025 on Wednesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-1 victory over Lakeland Regional. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since April 24, 2024, but that streak is no more.
Justin Burke looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits.
At the plate, Jack Lizza was excellent, going 1-for-2 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Blake Tyburczy, who went 1-for-2 with one double and one RBI.
West Milford's win bumped their record up to 8-3. As for Eastside, their loss dropped their record down to 4-8.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Eastside has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like West Milford struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Eastside came out on top in a nail-biter against West Milford in their previous meeting back in April of 2025, sneaking past 6-5. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Ghosts since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
