The Montoursville Warriors will venture away from home to face off against the Montgomery Red Raiders at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Montoursville barely beat Central Columbia the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Warriors were the clear victors by a 15-2 margin over the Bluejays on Wednesday. The Warriors have beaten the Bluejays the last nine times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Bluejays has come to flipping the script.
Montoursville got a great performance from Logan Kirby as he struck out eight batters over 4.1 innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits (and not a single walk). Kirby has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
Zack Neill
| 04/16/25 @ Central Columbia | 3 |
| 04/16/24 vs Danville | 2 |
| 04/09/25 @ Mifflinburg | 1 |
| 03/31/25 vs Midd-West | 1 |
| 05/21/24 vs Mifflinburg | 1 |
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Zack Neill, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and two RBI. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Royce Bowes was another key player, scoring three runs while going 2-for-3.
Montoursville always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .579. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Montgomery entered their tilt with Sullivan County on Wednesday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They blew past the Griffins 20-5. The Red Raiders' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Montgomery let Max Furman and Parker Bennett run wild. Furman scored four runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3, while Bennett went a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. Furman also hit a double, marking his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Ethan Hugar, who scored two runs while going 1-for-1.
Montoursville pushed their record up to 5-1 with the victory, which was their ninth straight on the road dating back to last season. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.9 runs on average over those games. As for Montgomery, their record is now 7-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Montoursville has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Montgomery struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Montoursville took their victory against Montgomery in their previous meeting back in May of 2021 by a conclusive 16-0 score. Will the Warriors repeat their success, or do the Red Raiders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
