The Havre de Grace Warriors will head out to take on the North East Indians at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Havre de Grace barely beat C. Milton Wright the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Warriors blew past the Mustangs 9-1 on Tuesday. The result was nothing new for the Warriors, who have now won ten matches by seven runs or more so far this season.
Lilly Dalton made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off eight hits. Dalton was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Bayleigh Carstetter, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, two RBI, and one double. Sarah Weitzel also deserves some recognition as she launched her first home run of the season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask North East). Their pitcher stepped up to hand Elkton a 20-0 shutout on Monday. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded the Indians with their most commanding win of the season.
Like Havre de Grace, North East also got a great game from a two-way player: Jazmyn Martin. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Martin has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI. Those three hits gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Victoria McGee was a standout: she went a perfect 4-for-4 with three stolen bases, five RBI, and three runs. Those three stolen bases gave her a new career-high. Jahnel Ledford was another key player, going 3-for-4 with one home run, four runs, and three RBI.
North East hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least three batters in three consecutive contests.
Havre de Grace is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten games. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-4 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.2 runs over those games. As for North East, their record is now 8-6.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Havre de Grace has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like North East struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.1 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Havre de Grace skirted past North East 1-0 in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Warriors since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
