The Mansfield Tigers will challenge the Towanda Black Knights at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Mansfield's pitching crew has only allowed 3.5 runs per game this season, so Towanda's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Mansfield's usually-dominant pitching crew will be looking to make up for Thursday's struggle, when Wellsboro hitters got past them. The Tigers came up short against the Hornets on Thursday, falling 10-0. The Tigers' defeat signaled the end of their five-game winning streak.
Mansfield saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jason Harer, who went 1-for-2 with one double.
Meanwhile, Towanda came tearing into Saturday's matchup with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Everything went their way against the Crusaders as they made off with an 11-1 win. The result was nothing new for the Black Knights, who have now won four contests by nine runs or more so far this season.
Jack Tavani spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on two hits. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Towanda is 6-2 when he allows at most three earned runs, but 1-3 otherwise.
At the plate, Towanda let Wil Shrawder and Rylee Sluyter run wild. Shrawder went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI, while Sluyter got on base in two of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs. That's the most stolen bases Shrawder has posted since back in May of 2024. Gianni Assante was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Towanda's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-5. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.7 runs on average over those games. As for Mansfield, their loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 9-2.
Towanda's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Mansfield hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .359. It's a different story for Towanda, though, as they've only averaged .237. Will they be able to contain Mansfield's hitters?
Mansfield took their victory against Towanda in their previous matchup back in March by a conclusive 10-1 score. Do the Tigers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Black Knights turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
