The River Dell Golden Hawks will face off against the Bergen Tech Knights at 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Neither River Dell nor Bergen Tech posted many runs in their last games, so it might be the pitching crews that decide this one.
River Dell saw some tournament action on Sunday. They fell 4-1 to New Milford.
Kevin Good was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he pitched five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off two hits.
On the hitting side, Jordan Mellaci was cooking despite his team's loss, going 3-for-4 with one stolen base and one double. Mason Nagle was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one triple and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Bergen Tech had to endure a four-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They had just enough and edged out Fair Lawn 2-1 on Tuesday.
Bergen Tech also got a great performance from Tiernan O'Rourke as he pitched six innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. The dominant performance also gave O'Rourke a new career-high in strikeouts (five).
At the plate, Nathan Nieves was excellent, going 3-for-6 with two RBI and one double. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Michael Camporeale, who got on base in three of his six plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
Bergen Tech's victory bumped their record up to 8-12. As for River Dell, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost seven of their last eight games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 5-12 record this season.
Bergen Tech's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: River Dell hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .333. It's a different story for Bergen Tech, though, as they've only averaged .217. Will they be able to contain River Dell's hitters?
River Dell might still be hurting after the 10-1 defeat they got from Bergen Tech in their previous meeting back in April of 2023. Can the Golden Hawks avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
