The Raymond Rams will take on the Newfound Regional Bears at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Raymond's pitching crew has only allowed 2.8 runs per game this season, so Newfound Regional's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Newfound Regional will take on a team with plenty of momentum: Raymond extended their winning streak to three on Wednesday. The Rams came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 7-6 W against Prospect Mountain. The Rams' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Brady McGovern and Shane Mckenney did most of the damage at the plate: McGovern went 2-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run, while Mckenney went a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs and two doubles. Maddox Brown was another key player, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with one double and one RBI.
Raymond was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .407. The last time their batting average was this high was back in April of 2025.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 13 runs the game before, Newfound Regional was a bit more limited in their matchup on Wednesday. They lost 8-2 to Derryfield. The contest marked the Bears' lowest-scoring game so far this season.
Newfound Regional saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Abe Furtado, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one run. Furtado is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: he's snagged at least one every time he's taken the field this season.
Newfound Regional now has a losing record of 2-3. As for Raymond, their win bumped their record up to 3-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Raymond has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Newfound Regional struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Raymond skirted past Newfound Regional 5-3 in their previous meeting back in April of 2025. Will the Rams repeat their success, or do the Bears have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.