The Indian Hills Braves will head out on the road to face off against the Wayne Valley Indians at 4:15 p.m. on Friday. Wayne Valley took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Indian Hills, who comes in off a win.
Indian Hills' pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Monday. They were the clear victors by a 12-0 margin over River Dell. That looming 12-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Braves yet this season.
LJ Renshaw made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over five innings pitched. Renshaw was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Indian Hills let Charlie Brugna and Matt O'Shaunossy run wild. Brugna went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run, while O'Shaunossy went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. That's the most stolen bases Brugna has posted over his last eight matches. Ryan Hurley was another key player, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with one run and one RBI.
Indian Hills always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .533. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as River Dell only posted an OBP of .350.
Passaic Valley hit Wayne Valley with a four-run fourth inning on Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Indians fell 6-3 to the Hornets. That makes it the first time this season the Indians have let down their home crowd.
Josh Gonzalez and Michael Kamper did some serious damage despite the final result: Gonzalez went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double, while Kamper went a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI and one run. Wayne Valley is 4-1 when Gonzalez posts two or more runs, but 6-8 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Roman Rowbotham, who went 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Indian Hills has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-10 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.2 runs over those games. As for Wayne Valley, the loss was their first at home , dropping their record down to 10-9.
Indian Hills beat Wayne Valley 8-4 when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Do the Braves have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Indians turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
