The Riverdale Falcons will head out on the road to face off against the Elmwood Royals at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Riverdale is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.3 runs per game this season.
Riverdale managed to slip by Bluffton the last time these teams faced off, but didn't have those same answers this time around. The Falcons came up short against the Pirates on Tuesday, falling 11-4.
Evan Reiter
| 04/04/25 vs Waynesfield-Goshen | 3 |
| 04/29/25 @ Bluffton | 2 |
| 04/28/25 vs Ada | 2 |
| 04/23/25 @ Vanlue | 2 |
| 04/21/25 @ Pandora-Gilboa | 2 |
| + 6 more games |
Evan Reiter made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with two runs and one double. He is becoming a predictor of Riverdale's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 7-1 (and 1-5 when he doesn't). Kydin Reed was another key player, going 2-for-3 with three RBI.
Meanwhile, Elmwood had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Monday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Panthers a 4-0 shutout.
Not much got past Zackery Gross, who gave up just a hit and racked up 13 Ks to keep McComb off the board. Gross has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Colton Bradford was excellent, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one RBI. Another player making a difference was Nico Allen, who went 1-for-3 with two runs.
Elmwood's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 11-3. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.3 runs over those games. As for Riverdale, their defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 8-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Riverdale has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Elmwood struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Riverdale came out on top in a nail-biter against Elmwood when the teams last played back in April of 2024, sneaking past 10-9. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Falcons since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
