The Rocky Grove Orioles will head out on the road to face off against the Saegertown Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Monday.
Last Friday, Rocky Grove came up short against Cochranton and fell 9-5. The loss put an end to the Orioles' undefeated start to the season.
Isaac Grigsby was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-4. Aaron Wetjen was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Saegertown had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 11 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They blew past the Tigers 19-6. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three games by ten runs or more this season.
Levi Gardner made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out six over four innings pitched. Those six strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring three runs while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
In other batting news, Saegertown got a massive performance out of Wyatt Burchill, who fired off three home runs, four runs, and four RBI while going 3-for-4. With that strong performance, Burchill is now averaging an impressive 2.2 runs per game. Another player making a difference was Demarcus Manning, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with one home run, four RBI, and two runs.
Saegertown kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 11 hits in three consecutive contests.
Saegertown's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 3-1. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.7 runs on average over those games. As for Rocky Grove, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 2-1.
Monday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Rocky Grove hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .360. However, it's not like Saegertown struggles in that department as they've averaged .377. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Rocky Grove suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Saegertown in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Orioles avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
