Belleville had lost four straight at home, but on Wednesday they dropped down to 5-8 to make it five. They fell just short of the West Orange Mountaineers by a score of 4-3. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Buccaneers of the 13-0 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in April of 2025.
As for West Orange, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 8-4. That's two games straight that they have won by just one run.
For West Orange's part, Jay Stevenson and Shep Stevenson were major factors no matter where they played. On the mound, Stevenson kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out ten over four innings pitched. Meanwhile, Shep tossed five innings while giving up just two earned runs off eight hits. Jay has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one hit in four consecutive appearances. At the plate, Stevenson went 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one run, while Shep went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact as six players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Aidan Ackermann, who went 3-for-4 with one RBI. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Jordan Rothseid also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Belleville will host St. Benedict's Prep at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. As for West Orange, they will welcome Kearny at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
