The Waynesburg Central Raiders will challenge the Keystone Oaks Golden Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
On Wednesday, Waynesburg Central made easy work of McGuffey and carried off a 9-2 win. The Raiders haven't had any issues with the Highlanders recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive victory against them.
Austin Surber made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out eight over six innings pitched. Surber was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
In other batting news, Derek Turcheck was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base. Grant Pack was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
Meanwhile, it was a Battle of the Birds when Keystone Oaks duked it out with Brownsville on Wednesday. The Golden Eagles put the hurt on the Falcons with a sharp 14-7 win. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Golden Eagles considering their two-run performance the match before.
Like Waynesburg Central, Keystone Oaks also got a great game from a two-way player: Ian Bickel. He tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Bickel has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March.
In other pitching news, Max Boehm tossed a big game, pitching 4.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Roman Keaney, who went 3-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Bryce Altenbaugh, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Keystone Oaks was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Brownsville only posted a batting average of .207.
The victory made it two in a row for Keystone Oaks and bumps their season record up to 7-5. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.0 runs over those games. As for Waynesburg Central, their record now sits at 12-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Waynesburg Central has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Keystone Oaks struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
