The West Branch Warriors will challenge the Northern Cambria Colts at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
West Branch took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Curwensville with a sharp 14-2 win. The Warriors haven't had any issues with the Golden Tide recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive victory against them.
Lukas Colton
| 04/01/25 vs Curwensville | 9 |
| 03/25/25 @ Williamsburg | 5 |
| 03/19/25 vs Glendale | 12 |
Lukas Colton made a splash no matter where he played. He struck out nine batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Hansen Lannen and Frank Leskovansky did most of the damage at the plate: Lannen scored two runs while going 2-for-2, while Leskovansky scored two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Coby Kephart, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
West Branch always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .588. The last time their OBP was this high was back in April of 2024.
Meanwhile, Northern Cambria strolled into their game on Friday with a perfect record and they left with the same. Everything went their way against Portage as they made off with a 16-6 win. The Colts' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Zak Kirsch looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits.
On the hitting side, Ben Messina was incredible, scoring four runs while going 5-for-5. Those five hits gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Shane Gisler, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3.
Northern Cambria's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 6-0. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.3 runs over those games. As for West Branch, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Monday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. West Branch hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .374. However, it's not like Northern Cambria struggles in that department as they've averaged .365. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
West Branch came out on top in a nail-biter against Northern Cambria in their previous meeting back in May of 2019, sneaking past 5-4. Do the Warriors have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Colts turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
