The Northbridge Rams will head out to challenge the Weston Wildcats at 11:00 a.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Northbridge sitting on five straight wins and Weston on seven.
Northbridge is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Prouty a 19-0 shutout on Wednesday. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded the Rams with their most commanding win of the season.
Sean Rochette looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out eight over four innings pitched.
On the hitting side, Northbridge let David Scichilone and Matt Coughlin run wild. Scichilone went 2-for-3 with three runs and four RBI, while Coughlin went 2-for-3 with five RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Ryder Meagher was another key player, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with three runs, one double, and one RBI.
Northbridge hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least three batters in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Weston made easy work of Brookline on Thursday and carried off an 11-1 victory. Considering the Wildcats have won four games by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Aidan Murphy was a major factor no matter where he played. He struck out nine batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (and only one walk). He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base.
In other batting news, Dylan Conley and Massimo Buchbinder did most of the damage at the plate: Conley went a perfect 1-for-1 with two RBI, one run, and one double, while Buchbinder went a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI, one run, and one double. That double marked the first that Buchbinder has hit this season. Another player making a difference was Ben Meade, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with two runs.
Northbridge's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-1. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.3 runs on average over those games. As for Weston, their record now sits at 7-0.
Friday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Northbridge hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .328. However, it's not like Weston struggles in that department as they've averaged .386. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Northbridge came out on top in a nail-biter against Weston when the teams last played back in April of 2024, sneaking past 6-4. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Rams since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
