The Octorara Area Braves will take on the Eastern Lebanon County Raiders at 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Octorara Area's hitters haven't had much luck over their past four contests, but Wednesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Octorara Area's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Monday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Cocalico, sneaking past 2-0. The victory was some much needed relief for the Braves as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Eastern Lebanon County and Manheim Central meet (three straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Monday. The Raiders fell just short of the Barons by a score of 9-7. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Raiders have suffered since May 28, 2024.
Austin Smith made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Tyce Boyer, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Octorara Area's win was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 5-5. As for Eastern Lebanon County, they moved to 6-5 with that defeat, which also ended their three-game winning streak.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Wednesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Octorara Area has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Eastern Lebanon County struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Octorara Area came up short against Eastern Lebanon County in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, falling 4-1. Can the Braves avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
