Baseball Game Preview: Stamford Black Knights vs. Ridgefield Tigers

Stamford hasn't had much luck against Ridgefield recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Black Knights will head out on the road to challenge the Tigers at 4:30 p.m. Stamford is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.3 runs per game this season.

Stamford will bounce into Monday's contest after beating Darien, who they had gone 1-7 against in their eight prior meetings. The Black Knights were the clear victors by a 9-3 margin over the Blue Wave on Wednesday. While the Black Knights didn't have the best season last year (they finished 3-18), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.

Jack Gibson spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned runs on five hits.

On the hitting side, Travis Fuchs and Benny Degrutolla did most of the damage at the plate: Fuchs went a perfect 4-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run, while Degrutolla went 1-for-3 with three stolen bases and three runs. Those three stolen bases gave Degrutolla a new career-high. Junior Ozuna also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.

Meanwhile, it was close, but on Wednesday Ridgefield sidestepped St. Joseph for a 4-2 victory.

Stamford's win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-3. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.5 runs over those games. As for Ridgefield, their record is now 2-3.

Stamford beat Ridgefield 9-5 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Will the Black Knights repeat their success, or do the Tigers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.