The Metuchen Bulldogs are taking a road trip to square off against the South River Rams at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday. Metuchen's pitching crew has only allowed 2.5 runs per game this season, so South River's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Metuchen's usually-dominant pitching crew will be looking to make up for Monday's struggle, when North Plainfield hitters got past them. The Bulldogs took a 10-7 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Canucks on Monday.
Cooper Crawford made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Lucas Malamug, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, South River strolled into their game on Monday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They put the hurt on Carteret with a sharp 12-2 win. Considering the Rams have won four matchups by more than seven runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
James Zsorey spent all five innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on seven hits and racked up six Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Julius Rosado, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one home run, four runs, and two stolen bases. That's the most runs he has posted since back in May of 2024. Another player making a difference was Julien Borusovic, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
South River hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in four consecutive contests.
South River pushed their record up to 5-0 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Metuchen, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Metuchen has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like South River struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Metuchen took their victory against South River in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 11-5 score. Do the Bulldogs have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Rams turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
