The Pinkerton Astros will face off against the Londonderry Lancers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Pinkerton sitting on 20 straight wins dating back to last season and Londonderry on three.
Pinkerton came out on top against Winnacunnet on Wednesday thanks in part to the team's impressive five-run sixth inning. The Astros walked away with an 8-3 victory over the Warriors.
Leo Boucher made a splash while hitting and pitching. He struck out seven batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits. Boucher was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Brendan Home, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. That home run marked the first that he has launched this season.
Meanwhile, Londonderry put their dominant pitcher on display in the team's third consecutive shutout on Thursday. They never let Manchester Memorial get on the board and left with a 7-0 win. The Lancers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine matchups by seven runs or more this season.
Zach Mantegari and Jet Jones did most of the damage at the plate: Mantegari went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI, while Jones went a perfect 3-for-3 with one triple, one double, and one RBI. Those three hits gave Jones a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Caden Jordan, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one run.
Londonderry's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-2-1. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Pinkerton, their victory bumped their record up to 9-0.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Pinkerton has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Londonderry struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Pinkerton couldn't quite finish off Londonderry in their previous meeting back in May of 2024 and fell 4-2. Will the Astros have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
