The Northampton Blue Devils will venture away from home to square off against the South Hadley Tigers at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Northampton came up short against Mount Greylock Regional and fell 8-5. The Blue Devils have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Northampton saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Oliver Yau, who went 2-for-3 with one double. That double marked the first that Yau has hit this season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask South Hadley). They blew past Mount Greylock Regional 18-4 on Monday. The Tigers not only won on Monday, but they posted their biggest win since May 12, 2025 (when they won 19-1).
Matt Butler was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
In other batting news, South Hadley got a massive performance out of Memphis Huertas, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. Huertas has become a key player for the Tigers: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 5-6 otherwise. Griffin Soderbaum was another key player, going 3-for-4 with three runs, two doubles, and two RBI.
South Hadley hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Mount Greylock Regional struck out six times.
Northampton's loss dropped their record down to 4-7-1. As for South Hadley, their win ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 7-7.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Wednesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Northampton has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like South Hadley struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Northampton suffered a grim 13-3 defeat to South Hadley when the teams last played back in April. Can the Blue Devils avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
