Nathan Hale is 2-7 against Garfield since March of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Wednesday. Nathan Hale will be playing in front of their home fans against Garfield at 4:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Nathan Hale has four straight wins, Garfield has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Garfield's hitters are going to have their work cut out for them on Wednesday: Nathan Hale hadn't allowed a single run the last three times they've hit the field. Nathan Hale never let Franklin get on the board and left with a 10-0 victory on Friday. Considering the Raiders have won three matches by more than nine runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Finn Leach was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, Nathan Hale got a big performance out of PJ Sale, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2. Another player making a difference was Andrew Goodman, who went 1-for-2 with one triple and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Garfield fought the good fight in their extra-innings contest against Lincoln on Monday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They took a 9-6 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Lynx. One positive for the Bulldogs, at least, is that this was the most points they've scored all season.
Lockie McIver was cooking despite his team's loss, going 3-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two doubles. Those two doubles gave him a new career-high. Taylor Woods also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Nathan Hale's win was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-2-1. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games. As for Garfield, they now have a losing record of 3-4.
Garfield's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Nathan Hale has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .455. It's a different story for Garfield, though, as they've only averaged .295. Will they be able to contain Nathan Hale's hitters?
Nathan Hale skirted past Garfield 3-1 in their previous meeting back in March of 2024. Will Nathan Hale repeat their success, or does Garfield has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
