Baseball Game Preview: Silver Creek Raptors vs. Sterling Tigers

The Silver Creek Raptors are taking a road trip to challenge the Sterling Tigers at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Silver Creek came out on top against Horizon on Wednesday thanks in part to the team's impressive seven-run sixth inning. The Raptors walked away with a 9-5 victory over the Hawks. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Raptors as it put an end to their four-game losing streak.

Nolan Gaccetta spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered five earned runs on six hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.

Nathen Canfield

Runs Batted In

03/28/25 vs Hoehne	6
04/23/25 @ Horizon	3
04/02/25 @ Skyline	3
03/11/25 vs Westminster	3
03/24/25 vs Grand Junction	2
+ 4 more games

At the plate, Nathen Canfield was incredible, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two doubles. He is becoming a predictor of Silver Creek's success: when he posts at least three RBI the team is undefeated (and 5-9 when he doesn't). Nate Spiegel was another key player, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.

Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Sterling ultimately got the result they hoped for on Thursday. They won by a run and slipped past Valley 4-3.

The team relied heavily on Caysen Bamford, who went 3-for-4 with two doubles, one run, and one RBI. Ethan Thyne also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.

Sterling pushed their record up to 8-3 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.2 runs over those games. As for Silver Creek, the victory got them back to even at 9-9.

Silver Creek couldn't quite finish off Sterling in their previous meeting back in March and fell 7-5. Can the Raptors avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.