The North Pocono Trojans will challenge the Bethlehem Catholic Hawks at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. North Pocono is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last five games.
North Pocono is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They put the hurt on West Scranton with a sharp 22-1 victory on Thursday. With that win, the Trojans brought their scoring average up to 6.7 runs per game.
Cael Hafner made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (and only one walk). He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while getting on base in five of his six plate appearances. That's the most runs he has posted since back in May of 2024.
Jake Reese
| 04/10/25 @ West Scranton | 3 |
| 04/02/25 @ Valley View | 2 |
| 04/09/25 @ Wallenpaupack Area | 1 |
| 03/27/25 @ Berwick | 1 |
| 03/22/25 @ Northampton | 1 |
In other batting news, Jake Reese was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in five of his six plate appearances. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in RBI (three). Jason Walsh was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-5.
North Pocono always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .596. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
The home team had won the previous six meetings between Bethlehem Catholic and Freedom, and Freedom kept the tradition alive. The Hawks came up short against the Patriots on Tuesday, falling 16-1.
Bethlehem Catholic saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Petros Tsihlis, who went 1-for-2 with one RBI.
North Pocono's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-2. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.8 runs over those games. As for Bethlehem Catholic, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-5.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. North Pocono has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Bethlehem Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
North Pocono suffered a grim 11-1 defeat to Bethlehem Catholic in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Will the Trojans 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.
