Ferndale has enjoyed the comforts of home their last four games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will face off against the Glendale Vikings at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Ferndale is headed into the matchup fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Greater Johnstown a 10-0 shutout on Wednesday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
Danny Fesko was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over six innings pitched. Fesko has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in three consecutive pitching appearances. Fesko was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with three RBI.
In other batting news, Nathan Hendershot was incredible, scoring three runs while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was Aedan Hrivnak, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Glendale put the finishing touches on their fourth blowout victory of the season on Wednesday. They were the clear victor by an 11-1 margin over Harmony Area. With that victory, Glendale brought their scoring average up to 6.5 runs per game.
Like Ferndale, Glendale also got a great game from a two-way player: Connor Potutschnig. He struck out 15 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (and not a single walk). Potutschnig was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing four bases while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
In other batting news, Brison Davis and Levi Hamilton did most of the damage at the plate: Davis scored three runs and stole five bases while going 3-for-5, while Hamilton scored a run and stole three bases while going 3-for-5. James Jenkins was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-2.
Ferndale's record now sits at 3-11. As for Glendale, they now have a winning record of 7-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Ferndale has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Glendale struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.5. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Ferndale suffered a grim 9-2 defeat to Glendale in their previous matchup back in April of 2023. Can Ferndale avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
