The Holden Rockets are taking a road trip to face off against the Northshore Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Holden is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8 runs per game this season.
Holden took a loss when they played away from home on Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. Everything went their way against Maurepas as they made off with a 9-3 victory. The win continues a trend for the Rockets in their matchups with the Wolves: they've now won four in a row.
Colton Lewis made a splash while hitting and pitching. He pitched six innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits. Lewis was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Aidan Hutchinson, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-3. That's the most stolen bases he has posted over his last nine games. Nate Garcia was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Northshore had already won nine in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9 runs) and they went ahead and made it ten on Thursday. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 3-2 W against the Bulldogs.
Carson Malasovich spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on two hits and racked up eight Ks. He has been consistent : he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Northshore's victory was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Brody Dukes, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-2.
Holden pushed their record up to 17-7 with the win, which was their eighth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. As for Northshore, their record now sits at 27-4-1.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Holden has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Northshore struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
