The Jim Thorpe Olympians will head out on the road to square off against the Northern Lehigh Bulldogs at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Wednesday, Jim Thorpe was able to grind out a solid victory over Northwestern Lehigh, taking the game 7-4. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Olympians.
Kaden Hess
| 04/30/25 vs Northwestern Lehigh | 2 |
| 04/29/25 vs Bangor | 1 |
| 04/24/25 vs Palmerton | 1 |
| 04/15/25 @ Moravian Academy | 1 |
| 04/14/25 vs Catasauqua | 1 |
Kaden Hess was a major factor no matter where he played. He pitched seven innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run. Those two hits gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Nikolas Schwartz and Tanner MoDavis did most of the damage at the plate: Schwartz went a perfect 4-for-4 with one run, while MoDavis got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run and one RBI. Those four hits gave Schwartz a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Nathan Frantz, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI.
Jim Thorpe always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .553. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Northwestern Lehigh only posted an OBP of .222.
Northern Lehigh came out on top against Lehighton on Wednesday thanks in part to the team's impressive seven-run seventh inning. The Bulldogs put the hurt on the Indians with a sharp 10-3 win. The game was the first time the Bulldogs have beaten the Indians on their field since April 5, 2016.
Braedon Dougherty was incredible, going 3-for-4 with four RBI, one run, and one double. Northern Lehigh is 2-1 when Dougherty posts three or more RBI, but 5-10 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Coy Daubert, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
Jim Thorpe pushed their record up to 8-10 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. As for Northern Lehigh, their record is now 7-11.
Jim Thorpe couldn't quite finish off Northern Lehigh in their previous meeting back in April and fell 8-6. Can the Olympians avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
