The Union Catholic Vikings will head out on the road to take on the Westfield Blue Devils at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
Union Catholic is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 12 runs on Saturday, they were much more limited against Governor Livingston on Monday. They took a 5-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Highlanders. The Vikings have struggled against the Highlanders recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive lost meeting.
Meanwhile, Westfield entered their tilt with New Providence on Monday with five consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with six. They were the clear victors by an 8-2 margin over the Pioneers. The result was nothing new for the Blue Devils, who have now won seven matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Anthony Narciso looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Jake Alfano was incredible, getting on base in all five of his plate appearances with three stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. He has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last six times he's played. Another player making a difference was Braeden Trajkovski, who got on base in two of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run.
Westfield's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 14-4. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Union Catholic, their loss dropped their record down to 13-7.
Tuesday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Union Catholic hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .313. However, it's not like Westfield struggles in that department as they've averaged .318. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Union Catholic was able to grind out a solid win over Westfield in their previous meeting back in April, winning 9-5. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Vikings since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
