Baseball Game Preview: McDonald Blue Devils vs. Springfield Tigers

Blue Devils

Runs

04/23/26 @ Austintown-Fitch	3
04/22/26 vs Memorial	10
04/21/26 vs Waterloo	11
04/20/26 @ Waterloo	12
04/18/26 @ Howland	3
+ 6 more games

The McDonald Blue Devils will head out on the road to face off against the Springfield Tigers at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. McDonald is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10.6 runs per game this season.

McDonald is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Austintown-Fitch just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Thursday. They fell 8-3 to the Falcons.

Jaxson Candel made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and two doubles. Jordan Perry also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.

While Springfield didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-11), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Mineral Ridge on Tuesday, sneaking past 3-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Tigers have posted since March 28th.

Jaxon Minetti was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. Minetti was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one double.

Minetti wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Jackson Ensley, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one RBI. Brock Masello was another, getting on base in two of his three plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.

Springfield pushed their record up to 7-4 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.7 runs over those games. As for McDonald, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-3.

McDonald couldn't quite get it done against Springfield in their previous meeting back in April of 2025 as they fell 6-2. Can the Blue Devils avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.