The South Portland Red Riots will face off against the Scarborough Red Storm on Thursday. South Portland's pitching crew has only allowed 2.6 runs per game this season, so Scarborough's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
South Portland is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Bonny Eagle a 3-0 shutout. The victory continues a trend for the Red Riots in their matchups with the Scots: they've now won nine in a row.
South Portland saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Easton Healy, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and two RBI.
Meanwhile, it may have taken nine innings to finish the job, but Scarborough ultimately got the result they hoped for on Wednesday. They walked away with a 9-6 win over South Portland. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Red Storm.
Ryan Shugars made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 11 over six innings pitched. He has been consistent: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with one stolen base and one RBI.
In other pitching news, Cam Dean looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run any time he's pitched this season.
Back at the plate, Scarborough let Finn Coburn and Matthew Fallona run wild. Coburn went 3-for-5 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base, while Fallona went 2-for-5 with four stolen bases and two runs. Those two doubles gave Coburn a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Kam Duggan, who went 2-for-5 with one stolen base and one run.
Scarborough pushed their record up to 15-1 with the victory, which was their 17th straight on the road dating back to last season. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.9 runs over those games. As for South Portland, their record now sits at 12-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. South Portland has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Scarborough struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
South Portland came up short against Scarborough when the teams last played on Wednesday, falling 9-6. Can the Red Riots avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
