East Pennsboro has won seven straight games at home, while Middletown has won seven straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Thursday. The Panthers will welcome the Blue Raiders at 4:15 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
It was a proper cat-fight when East Pennsboro faced off against Harrisburg on Tuesday. The Panthers blew past the Cougars 15-1.
Luca DeGregorio looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one hit any time he's pitched this season.
Jovi DeJesus
| 04/22/25 @ Harrisburg | 1 |
| 04/16/25 vs Trinity | 1 |
| 04/14/25 vs Camp Hill | 1 |
| 04/09/25 @ Milton Hershey | 2 |
| 04/08/25 vs Steelton-Highspire | 1 |
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Jovi DeJesus, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. He has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last five times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Kade Pearson, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI and one run.
East Pennsboro always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .636. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Harrisburg only posted an OBP of .364.
Meanwhile, Middletown made easy work of Milton Hershey on Tuesday and carried off a 7-1 win.
Middletown let Michael Swartz and Brendan Fox run wild. Swartz got on base in two of his five plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI, while Fox went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Mitchell Miscevich, who went 3-for-4 with one RBI.
Middletown is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.2 runs on average over those games. As for East Pennsboro, their win bumped their record up to 12-0.
Thursday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. East Pennsboro has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .495. However, it's not like Middletown struggles in that department as they've averaged .460. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
East Pennsboro came out on top in a nail-biter against Middletown in their previous meeting back in March, sneaking past 3-1. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Blue Raiders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
