The Annville-Cleona Dutchmen will head out to square off against the Middletown Blue Raiders at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Annville-Cleona comes in on three and Middletown on four.
Annville-Cleona's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They blew past Lancaster Mennonite 27-0. The result was nothing new for the Dutchmen, who have now won three games by 11 runs or more so far this season.
Zoe Miller and Temperence Brubaker made a big impact while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Miller tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Brubaker tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run any time she's pitched this season. At bat, Miller went a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base, while Brubaker scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
In other batting news, Annville-Cleona let Faith Wagner and Danika Setlock run wild. Wagner went 3-for-4 with three stolen bases, six RBI, and three runs, while Setlock got on base in all five of her plate appearances with three runs, four RBI, and one triple. Those stolen bases were Wagner's first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Savannah Milan, who scored three runs while going 2-for-2.
Annville-Cleona hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Middletown narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past Camp Hill 7-6.
Kenadee Hileman was a major factor no matter where she played. She struck out seven batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and four unearned) runs off six hits. Hileman was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and one triple.
In other batting news, Maci Shutt and Meghan O'Brien did most of the damage at the plate: Shutt went 1-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run, while O'Brien went 1-for-2 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. Hayden Herneisey was another key player, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
Annville-Cleona pushed their record up to 4-1 with the victory, which was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.8 runs over those games. As for Middletown, their record is now 4-2.
Saturday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Annville-Cleona hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .402. However, it's not like Middletown struggles in that department as they've averaged .419. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Annville-Cleona suffered a grim 11-4 defeat to Middletown when the teams last played back in April of 2022. Can the Dutchmen avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
