Wayne Valley had lost five straight on the road, but on Friday they dropped down to 7-10 to make it six. They fell just short of the Clifton Mustangs by a score of 5-4. The Indians were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Mustangs apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in May of 2025.
Justin Balestracci got Wayne Valley off to a strong start despite the final result, striking out six batters over 6.1 innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits. That's the fewest earned runs Balestracci has allowed since back in April.
Michael Kamper
| 05/01/26 @ Clifton | 2 |
| 04/29/26 vs Fair Lawn | 2 |
| 04/22/26 vs Wayne Hills | 2 |
| 04/10/26 @ Eastside | 2 |
| 04/06/26 @ West Milford | 2 |
| + 7 more games |
On the hitting side, Michael Kamper made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three stolen bases and two runs. He has become a key player for Wayne Valley: the team is 4-2 when he posts at least two runs, but 3-8 otherwise. Aaron Fein was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI.
As for Clifton, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 9-11 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.2 runs on average over those games.
On Clifton's side, the team relied heavily on Bobby Cross, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI. Cross has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Wayne Valley will face off against Lakeland Regional at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. As for Clifton, they will take on Eastside at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
