The Payette Pirates will stay at home for another game and welcome the New Plymouth Pilgrims at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Payette is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 8.4 runs per game this season.
On Monday, Payette faced McCall-Donnelly in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Payette was the clear victor by a 14-4 margin over McCall-Donnelly. Considering Payette has won three matchups by more than nine runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Jahzyon Sylva made a big impact no matter where he played. He struck out 11 batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off five hits (and not a single walk). Sylva was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances.
In other batting news, Payette let Jake Penfold and Darrien Pecunia loose on the outfield. Penfold went 3-for-5 with five RBI, a triple, and a stolen base, while Pecunia scored three runs and stole four bases while going 2-for-5. Ian Ennis was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, New Plymouth came up short against Sugar-Salem on Saturday and fell 8-3. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest runs New Plymouth has scored all season.
Jacob Hartle made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two RBI and a double.
Payette's victory bumped their record up to 3-4. As for New Plymouth, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 3-3-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Payette has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like New Plymouth struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.4 strikeouts per game. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Payette was able to grind out a solid win over New Plymouth when the teams last played back in April of 2023, winning 9-4. Will Payette repeat their success, or does New Plymouth have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
