The Naples Big Green Machines will head out to square off against the Keshequa Indians at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with Naples sitting on three straight victories and Keshequa on six.
Naples will bounce into Friday's contest after beating Red Jacket, who they had gone 0-9 against in their nine prior meetings. The Big Green Machines walked away with a 5-2 win over Red Jacket on Wednesday.
Rowan Biggs
| 04/26/25 vs Hammondsport | 3 |
| 04/30/25 @ Red Jacket | 2 |
| 04/21/25 vs South Seneca | 2 |
| 04/23/25 vs Whitman | 1 |
| 03/31/25 vs Finney | 1 |
The team relied heavily on Rowan Biggs, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs. Naples is undefeated when Biggs posts two or more stolen bases, but 1-4 otherwise. Theron VanZandt also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
While Keshequa didn't have the best season last year (they finished 1-15), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Mount Morris a 14-0 shutout on Thursday. The game marked the Indians' most dominant victory of the season so far.
Chris Ebersole made a splash no matter where he played. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out six over five innings pitched. Ebersole was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Keshequa let Nathan Hillier and Owen Pike run wild. Hillier went a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run, while Pike went 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. Another player making a difference was Ryan Fox, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Keshequa always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .694. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
The win got Naples back to even at 4-4. As for Keshequa, their record is now 6-0.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Naples has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Keshequa struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Naples skirted past Keshequa 10-9 when the teams last played back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Big Green Machines since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
