Baseball Game Preview: Washington Academy Raiders vs. Sumner Tigers

Washington Academy is 9-1 against Sumner since May of 2017 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Wednesday. The Raiders will host the Tigers at 4:30 p.m. The timing is sure in Washington Academy's favor as the team sits on eight straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Sumner has been banged up by ten consecutive losses on the road also dating back to last season.

On Monday, Washington Academy got the win against George Stevens Academy by a conclusive 13-1. Fans of the Raiders have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 6+ runs.

James Welch

Batters Struck Out (Career)

05/05/25 @ George Stevens Academy	12
05/07/24 vs George Stevens Academy	10
04/30/25 @ Mount Desert Island	6
05/15/24 vs Mount View	5
04/23/25 @ Houlton	2

James Welch made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. Those 12 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with four stolen bases and three runs. He has been hot, having posted two or more stolen bases the last five times he's played.

In other batting news, Daniel Gardner was a standout: he got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. Gardner is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: he's snagged at least one every time he's taken the field this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Jayden Mahar, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI.

Meanwhile, Sumner fell victim to Bucksport and their airtight pitching crew on Monday. They came up short against the Golden Bucks, falling 6-0.

Washington Academy's win bumped their record up to 4-0. As for Sumner, they now have a losing record of 1-2.

Everything went Washington Academy's way against Sumner in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, as Washington Academy made off with a 13-0 victory. Do the Raiders have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Tigers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.