The Porter Ridge Pirates will square off against the Ardrey Kell Knights at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Porter Ridge has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the matchup with three straight losses, while Ardrey Kell will come in with three straight victories.
Porter Ridge fell victim to Cuthbertson and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They took a 3-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Cavaliers. The game marked the first time this season in which the Pirates were not able to get on the board.
Porter Ridge saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Harleigh Hopkins, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Ardrey Kell made easy work of Palisades on Tuesday and carried off a 13-2 win. The Knights might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five contests by ten runs or more this season.
Jenna Volturno was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over four innings pitched. Volturno was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run and two RBI.
In other batting news, Ardrey Kell let Reagan Martin and Reilly Cusimano run wild. Martin scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while Cusimano went 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. That home run was Cusimano's first of the season. Bethany Mitra was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
Ardrey Kell lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. That's the most home runs they've posted since back in April of 2024.
Ardrey Kell pushed their record up to 7-5 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Porter Ridge, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-7.
Wednesday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Porter Ridge hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .316. However, it's not like Ardrey Kell struggles in that department as they've averaged .369. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Porter Ridge's way against Ardrey Kell in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, as Porter Ridge made off with a 6-0 victory. Will Porter Ridge repeat their success, or does Ardrey Kell has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
