The Independence Blue Devils will head out to take on the Aurora Greenmen at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Independence has five straight wins, Aurora has five straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Monday, Independence made easy work of Orange and carried off a 13-3 victory. Considering the Blue Devils have won 12 matchups by more than five runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Sam Crooks made a big impact no matter where he played. He struck out seven batters over 4.2 innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in six consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with one home run.
Dom Narduzzi
| 05/12/25 vs Orange | 5 |
| 04/28/25 vs Lutheran West | 2 |
| 04/22/25 vs Cuyahoga Heights | 2 |
| 04/15/25 vs Trinity | 2 |
| 04/14/25 @ Trinity | 2 |
In other batting news, Dom Narduzzi was incredible, firing off two home runs, five RBI, and one stolen base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Those five RBI gave him a new career-high. Owen Jenks was another key player, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and two RBI.
Independence was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .667. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Aurora had taken Barberton down for two straight games at home, but that winning streak came to an end on Tuesday. The Greenmen took a 7-3 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Magics.
Aurora saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Drew Scott, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one double. Aydan Carlson also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Independence's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-3. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Aurora, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-16.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Wednesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Independence has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Aurora struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 2.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
