Groton School will head out on the road to take on the Belmont Hill Sextants at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. Groton School will be strutting in after a victory while Belmont Hill will be coming in after a defeat.
Groton School had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the ten-run drubbing they dealt Thayer Academy on Wednesday. Groton School's pitchers stepped up to hand Thayer Academy a 10-0 shutout. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Yuri Tanaka made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out six over five innings pitched. Tanaka was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs and one stolen base. That stolen base was his first of the season.
In other batting news, Groton School let Connor Wig and Kiran Sen run wild. Wig went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI, while Sen went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. Those RBI marked the first that Sen has brought in this season. Wesley DiModica was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, Belmont Hill faced Austin Prep in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Thursday. The Sextants came up short against the Cougars, falling 15-4. The loss continues a trend for the Sextants in their meetings with the Cougars: they've now lost three in a row.
Rylan Flynn made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Brian Seo, who went 1-for-2 with one home run and two runs.
Belmont Hill's defeat dropped their record down to 6-3. As for Groton School, their win bumped their record up to 2-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Groton School has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Belmont Hill struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Groton School came out on top in a nail-biter against Belmont Hill when the teams last played back in April of 2024, sneaking past 4-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for Groton School since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
