The Newport Buffaloes will head out to challenge the Upper Dauphin Area Trojans at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Newport lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Friday's contest. Newport was the clear victor by a 12-2 margin over Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy on Friday. The Buffaloes might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three matches by ten runs or more this season.
Aden Banks spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on five hits and racked up eight Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Landon Zaring, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with three runs, one triple, and one RBI. That triple marked the first that he hit this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Zachary Bates, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Newport always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .595. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy only posted an OBP of .227.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Upper Dauphin Area, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They came out on top against East Juniata on Saturday by a score of 14-4 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game). The Trojans not only won on Saturday, but they posted their biggest win since May 1, 2024.
Karson Engle made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over six innings while giving up four earned runs off five hits. Engle was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 3-for-5.
In other batting news, Colt Bellis was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. Isaac Jackson was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
The win (which was Newport's third in a row) raised their record to 4-1. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Upper Dauphin Area, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-3.
Newport couldn't quite finish off Upper Dauphin Area in their previous meeting back in May of 2024 and fell 4-2. Can Newport avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
