The Middletown Blue Raiders are packing up and heading out on the road for their first away game of the season: they will take on the Trinity Shamrocks at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Middletown was handed a six-run defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Monday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past East Pennsboro 5-4. The win continues a trend for the Blue Raiders in their matchups with the Panthers: they've now won four in a row.
Kenadee Hileman made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She pitched seven innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. Hileman was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one home run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ja'Liyah Stover, who went 1-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. Cheyenna Clouser was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one RBI.
Meanwhile, the third road game was the charm for Trinity, as they earned their first away victory of the season. They put the hurt on Harrisburg with a sharp 22-0 win on Monday. The Shamrocks' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Like Middletown, Trinity also got a great game from a two-way player: Payton Holtzapple. On the mound, Holtzapple tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Brianna Topper tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. At the plate, Holtzapple went a perfect 1-for-1 with two runs and one RBI, while Topper earned three RBI.
In other batting news, Bridget Schalk and Anna Sheaffer did most of the damage at the plate: Schalk got on base in all three of her plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI, while Sheaffer went a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI and two runs. That's the most runs Schalk has posted since back in May of 2025. Peyton Lawrence also deserves some recognition as she scored her first run of the season.
Trinity always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .686. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
The victory got Middletown back to even at 1-1. As for Trinity, the win was their first on the road, bumping their record up to 2-4.
Middletown got the 'W' when the teams last played back in April of 2025 against Trinity by a conclusive 16-6 score. Will the Blue Raiders repeat their success, or do the Shamrocks have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
