Baseball Game Preview: North Plainfield Canucks vs. Dayton Bulldogs

The North Plainfield Canucks will square off against the Dayton Bulldogs at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Neither North Plainfield nor Dayton posted many runs in their last games, so it might be the pitching crews that decide this one.

North Plainfield took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They never let Metuchen get on the board and left with a 1-0 win. While the Canucks didn't have the best season last year (they finished 6-19), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.

Meanwhile, Dayton was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They were two runs away from ending the streak, but they lost a 2-0 heartbreaker at the hands of Brearley. The matchup marked the first time this season in which the Bulldogs were not able to get on the board.

Chris Rodrigues was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out six batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off one hit. That's the fewest hits he has allowed since back in April of 2024.

North Plainfield pushed their record up to 4-1 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.5 runs over those games. As for Dayton, their loss dropped their record down to 1-4.

North Plainfield might still be hurting after the 9-3 defeat they got from Dayton in their previous meeting back in May of 2023. Will the Canucks have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.