The Port Allegany Gators will venture away from home to face off against the Cameron County Raiders at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Port Allegany will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each contest than the last.
Port Allegany had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the six-run drubbing they dealt Otto-Eldred on Tuesday. The Gators put the hurt on the Terrors with a sharp 10-4 win. The victory continues a trend for the Gators in their matchups with the Terrors: they've now won nine in a row.
Port Allegany let Chase Boyd and Aiden Bliss run wild. Boyd got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two RBI and one double, while Bliss went 2-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Kellen Veilleux, who went 2-for-5 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Port Allegany hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least four batters in ten consecutive games.
The home team had won the previous three meetings between Cameron County and Northern Potter, and Northern Potter kept the tradition alive. The Raiders fell just short of the Panthers by a score of 5-4 on Wednesday.
Ryan Shaffer made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and got on base in two of his three plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs. He has become a key player for Cameron County: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 2-7 otherwise.
Port Allegany's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-2. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Cameron County, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-8.
Cameron County's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Port Allegany has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .498. It's a different story for Cameron County, though, as they've only averaged .353. Will they be able to contain Port Allegany's hitters?
Everything went Port Allegany's way against Cameron County when the teams last played back in April, as Port Allegany made off with a 13-3 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Gators since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
