The Keene Blackbirds will take on the Manchester Memorial Crusaders at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Keene 2.5, Manchester Memorial 2.8) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Manchester Memorial will be up against a hot Keene squad: the team just extended their winning streak to four. The Blackbirds were the clear victors by an 11-3 margin over Manchester Central on Friday. The Blackbirds might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three games by six runs or more this season.
Sean Callahan and Solis Bergquist made a splash while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Callahan pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Bergquist tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. At bat, Callahan got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI, while Bergquist went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and two RBI. Those stolen bases were Callahan's first of the season.
In other batting news, Keene let Sam Goodwin and Fitch Hennessey run wild. Goodwin got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI, while Hennessey went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs. That RBI marked the first that Goodwin has brought in this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Cian Bose, who earned two RBI, one run, and two stolen bases.
Meanwhile, Manchester Memorial hadn't done well against Salem recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. The Crusaders walked away with a 5-1 victory over the Blue Devils. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Crusaders.
Keene's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 4-0. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Manchester Memorial, their win bumped their record up to 3-1.
Keene took their victory against Manchester Memorial in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 13-0 score. Do the Blackbirds have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Crusaders turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
