The Gray-New Gloucester Patriots will head out on the road to face off against the Telstar Rebels at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Gray-New Gloucester came out on top against Leavitt on Monday thanks in part to the team's impressive five-run first inning. The Patriots were the clear victors by a 9-3 margin over the Hornets. Winning may never get old, but the Patriots sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.
Seth Espling made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing six innings while giving up three earned runs off seven hits. Espling was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, Gray-New Gloucester got a big performance out of Griffin Richmond, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Those two hits gave Richmond a new career-high. Jake Mulry also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
Gray-New Gloucester always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .513. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Leavitt only posted an OBP of .323.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last contest, Telstar made sure to put some runs up on the board against Forest Hills on Thursday. The Rebels blew past the Tigers 11-1. The Rebels might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five matchups by seven runs or more this season.
Like Gray-New Gloucester, Telstar also got a great game from a two-way player: Brennan Walker. On the mound, Walker struck out seven batters over 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and not a single walk). Meanwhile, Bryson Walker tossed 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Brennan has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two hits in six consecutive appearances. At the plate, Walker got on base in four of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases, while Bryson got on base in four of his five plate appearances with five stolen bases, three runs, and two doubles. Bryson is becoming a predictor of Telstar's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 0-3 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Brody Morgan, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Brayden Easterlin was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two runs and one stolen base.
Telstar has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 5-3 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.8 runs over those games. As for Gray-New Gloucester, the victory got them back to even at 3-3.
