Bloomfield extended their losing streak to four on Thursday, dropping them down to 4-17. They came up short against the Newark Academy Minutemen, falling 12-6. The Bengals were not able to make up for their defeat to the Minutemen from their previous meeting back in April of 2025.
Miles Jimenez and Javier Villaplana stepped up to the plate in a big way. Jimenez went 2-for-3 with two doubles and one run, while Villaplana went 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
As for Newark Academy, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 8-11 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.6 runs over those games.
On Newark Academy's side, Carson DeVirgillio made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. DeVirgillio also tossed no walks, which is notable because Newark Academy is 2-1 when he allows at most two walks, but 6-10 otherwise. DeVirgillio was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base and two RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April.
In other batting news, Avery Sampson was a standout: he went 3-for-5 with three runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. He is becoming a predictor of Newark Academy's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 4-1 (and 4-10 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Ryan Zhu, who went 2-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Coming up, Bloomfield will be playing in front of their home fans against West Orange at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Mountaineers' pitching crew has only allowed 3.9 runs per game this season, so the Bengals' hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Newark Academy, they will face off against Newark Tech at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday.
