The Neumann Regional Academy Golden Knights are taking a road trip to challenge the Benton Tigers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Neumann Regional Academy made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Northwest Area, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Golden Knights put the hurt on the Rangers with a sharp 19-10 win on Wednesday. The Golden Knights might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five contests by eight runs or more this season.
Gino Birch
| 04/09/25 @ Northwest Area | 4 |
| 03/31/25 @ Bucktail | 3 |
| 03/18/25 @ East Juniata | 3 |
| 05/03/24 @ Sugar Valley Rural | 3 |
| 04/24/24 @ Columbia Montour Vo-Tech | 3 |
Gino Birch made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one hit in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring four runs while getting on base in three of his six plate appearances. Those four runs gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Angelo Birch was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in four of his six plate appearances. Maverick Dunkleburger also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Benton). Everything went their way against Bucktail on Wednesday as they made off with a 17-8 victory. The win continues a trend for the Tigers in their matchups with the Bucks: they've now won nine in a row.
Wayne Osborne was a standout: he went 3-for-5 with four RBI and one run. Seth Kolb was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
Benton kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Benton's victory was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-1. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. As for Neumann Regional Academy, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 5-2 record this season.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Neumann Regional Academy has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Benton struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4.4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Neumann Regional Academy skirted past Benton 4-3 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Golden Knights since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
