The Middletown Mustangs will take on the Durham Trojans in a tournament on Friday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Middletown barely beat Willits the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Middletown never let Willits get on the board and left with a 7-0 win on Monday.
Cody Perez was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out eight over seven innings pitched. Perez was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances.
In other batting news, Jon Hawkins was incredible, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with three stolen bases, two runs, and one triple. Cody De Jong was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Durham). They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Biggs 10-9. The win continues a trend for the Trojans in their matchups with the Wolverines: they've now won six in a row.
Bryce Landon looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits.
On the hitting side, Jack Stephens was a standout: he scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. Those runs marked the first that he scored this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Dylan Rabo, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Middletown's victory ended a three-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 1-1-1. As for Durham, their record now sits at 3-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Middletown has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Durham struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
