The Ellington Knights will take on the Stafford Bulldogs at 3:45 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Ellington has three straight wins, Stafford has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
16 must be Ellington's lucky number: they beat Academy of Science and Innovation with that score not once but twice on Tuesday. The Knights beat the Ravens by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 16-2. The Knights might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight contests by nine runs or more this season.
Ellington got a massive performance out of Jack Weigand, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. Dylan Killoran was another key player, going 2-for-5 with four RBI, two runs, and one double.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Ellington kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their hit total in three consecutive matchups.
Somers hit Stafford with a four-run fifth inning on Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Bulldogs came up short against the Spartans, falling 7-1. Bulldogs fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team's lost against the Spartans since on Wednesday.
Stafford saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Luca Houle, who went 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Ellington's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-4. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.0 runs over those games. As for Stafford, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-8.
Stafford's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Ellington hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .352. It's a different story for Stafford, though, as they've only averaged .257. Will they be able to contain Ellington's hitters?
Everything went Ellington's way against Stafford in their previous matchup back in April, as Ellington made off with a 14-0 victory. Will the Knights repeat their success, or do the Bulldogs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
