The Susquenita Blackhawks will square off against the Upper Dauphin Area Trojans at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a three-game winning streak alive.
Susquenita's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They were the clear victors by an 18-0 margin over Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy. The result was nothing new for the Blackhawks, who have now won ten matches by eight runs or more so far this season.
Ryan Schoppy
| 05/02/25 @ Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy | 10 |
| 03/26/25 vs Greenwood | 7 |
| 04/10/24 @ Newport | 7 |
| 03/31/25 vs Juniata | 5 |
| 05/03/24 @ Halifax | 5 |
Ryan Schoppy made a splash while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Those ten strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, firing off two home runs, four runs, and four RBI while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances. Those home runs were his first of the season.
In other batting news, Billy Syster was incredible, going 3-for-5 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. That home run marked the first that he has launched this season. Another player making a difference was Justin Reidlinger, who went 1-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Susquenita was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .419. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Upper Dauphin Area earned a 10-6 win over Juniata on Friday.
Like Susquenita, Upper Dauphin Area also got a great game from a two-way player: Colt Bellis. Throwing, Bellis pitched 4.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and four unearned) runs off six hits. Meanwhile, Hunter Grassmyer tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Bellis is becoming a predictor of Upper Dauphin Area's success: when he allows at most one earned run the team is 4-1 (and 4-8 when he doesn't). At the plate, Bellis went 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI, while Grassmyer got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and four RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Tyler Minier, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Tyler Erdley, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.
Susquenita's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-4. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.3 runs over those games. As for Upper Dauphin Area, their victory bumped their record up to 8-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Susquenita has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 11 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Upper Dauphin Area struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Susquenita came out on top in a nail-biter against Upper Dauphin Area in their previous meeting back in April, sneaking past 7-6. Will the Blackhawks repeat their success, or do the Trojans have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
