The Nutley Raiders will face off against the Barringer Blue Bears at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.
Nutley couldn't beat Seton Hall Prep on Monday even though they stacked five runs on them in the fifth inning. The Raiders took a 12-7 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Pirates. The Raiders have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Nutley got a good showing from PJ Balsamo, who pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. That's the first time Balsamo hasn't allowed a single earned run since back in March.
On the hitting side, John Machtemes was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-3 with three RBI and one run. Jackson Veneziano was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Newark Tech hit Barringer with a four-run fourth inning on Monday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Blue Bears came up short against the Terries, falling 10-4.
Breylin Hidalgo made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. He has become a key player for Barringer: the team is 3-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 1-6 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Allan Felipe, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base and one run.
Barringer's loss dropped their record down to 4-7. As for Nutley, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-7.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Nutley has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Barringer struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Nutley was able to grind out a solid win over Barringer in their previous matchup back in May of 2025, winning 9-5. Will the Raiders repeat their success, or do the Blue Bears have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
