Baseball Game Preview: East Ridge Knights vs. West Orange Warriors

The East Ridge Knights will head out to square off against the West Orange Warriors at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. East Ridge will be strutting in after a win while West Orange will be coming in after a defeat.

East Ridge took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They walked away with a 12-9 victory over Lake Mary Prep. The win was some much needed relief for the Knights as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.

Cale Keene

Hits (Career)

04/10/25 vs Lake Mary Prep	2
03/28/25 @ Cornerstone Charter Academy	1
03/24/25 vs Trinity Christian Academy	1
03/20/25 vs South Lake	1
02/19/25 @ Legacy Charter	1

Cale Keene made a big impact no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because East Ridge is 3-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 5-14 otherwise. Keene was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with three RBI and one double. Those two hits gave him a new career-high.

In other batting news, East Ridge let Haisum Osuna and Matthew Dewoody run wild. Osuna scored a run while going 2-for-4, while Dewoody scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4. That's the most runs Dewoody has posted since back in February. Rafael Otero also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.

Meanwhile, West Orange didn't have quite enough to beat Freedom on Thursday and fell 6-5. The Warriors have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

West Orange had to settle for second despite strong performances on the mound from Nicolas Caso and Lukas Stirewalt Caso pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits, while Stirewalt pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Stirewalt has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits any time he's pitched this season.

On the hitting side, Angel Martinez and Charlie Eidelman stepped up to the plate in a big way. Martinez scored two runs while going 2-for-3, while Eidelman scored a run while going 2-for-3.

East Ridge's record now sits at 8-15. As for West Orange, their loss dropped their record down to 18-6.

East Ridge came up short against West Orange in their previous meeting back in April of 2022, falling 4-0. Can the Knights avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.