The Nipmuc Regional Warriors will venture away from home to face off against the Canton Bulldogs at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Nipmuc Regional is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last five games.
Nipmuc Regional proved they can win big on Thursday (they won by 13) and on Wednesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-1 win over Hopedale. The game was the first time the Warriors have beaten the Blue Raiders on their field since April 11, 2022.
Dylan Muccini
| 04/16/25 - Home | 3 |
| 05/14/25 - Away | 1 |
Dylan Muccini tossed a big game, striking out ten batters over 6.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Nipmuc Regional is undefeated when Muccini allows one or fewer earned runs, but 4-5 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Nipmuc Regional saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Adam Dubowik, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs.
Meanwhile, Canton got the win against Oliver Ames on Wednesday by a conclusive 9-1. The victory continues a trend for the Bulldogs in their matchups with the Tigers: they've now won four in a row.
Kyle Redquest spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on three hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Brady Gibbons, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. Those two runs gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Andrew Gillis, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with three stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Nipmuc Regional pushed their record up to 9-5 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. As for Canton, their record is now 9-7-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Nipmuc Regional has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Canton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Nipmuc Regional came out on top in a nail-biter against Canton in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, sneaking past 3-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Warriors since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
