The New Milford Knights will head out to face off against the Cliffside Park Raiders at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday.
On Wednesday, New Milford came up short against Waldwick and fell 11-6. The Knights have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Andrew Schmitt was huge no matter where he played even without the win. On the mound, he struck out six batters over 5.1 innings while giving up three earned runs off nine hits (and not a single walk). He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Matthew Mulligan and Luis Placido did some serious damage despite the final result: Mulligan scored three runs while going 3-for-4, while Placido went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Andy Aviles was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Cliffside Park entered their tilt with Dwight Morrow on Wednesday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They were the clear victors by an 8-1 margin over the Maroon Raiders. The result was nothing new for the Raiders, who have now won five matchups by six runs or more so far this season.
Nicolas Ortiz spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on five hits and racked up eight Ks.
On the hitting side, Kayden Moeller and Freddy Fland did most of the damage at the plate: Moeller scored three runs and stole four bases while going 1-for-3, while Fland went 3-for-4 with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI. Moeller has become a key player for Cliffside Park: the team is 4-2 when he posts at least two runs, but 1-3 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Breidy Marine, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Cliffside Park was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .440. The last time their batting average was this high was back in May of 2024.
The victory got Cliffside Park back to even at 5-5. As for New Milford, their loss dropped their record down to 4-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. New Milford has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Cliffside Park struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
New Milford beat Cliffside Park 8-5 in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Knights since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
