The Springdale Dynamos will head out on the road to face off against the Northgate Flames at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Springdale is coming into the matchup on a three-game losing streak.
On Tuesday, Springdale didn't have quite enough to beat Apollo Ridge and fell 6-5.
Jackson Loebig made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and went a perfect 2-for-2 with one run and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Northgate made easy work of Aliquippa on Tuesday and carried off a 17-1 victory. Considering the Flames have won three contests by more than nine runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Nick Rawlings made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (three). He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with three stolen bases, three runs, and one triple. Northgate is undefeated when Rawlings posts two or more runs, but 0-3 otherwise.
In other pitching news, Sylvan Patalano looked comfortable as he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits.
Back at the plate, Jayden Turner was incredible, going a perfect 2-for-2 with four stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. He is becoming a predictor of Northgate's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 0-3 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Caleb Weiss, who got on base in two of his three plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI.
Springdale's loss dropped their record down to 1-4. As for Northgate, their win ended a five-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 3-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Springdale has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Northgate struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Springdale came up short against Northgate in their previous matchup back in April of 2019, falling 12-8. Can the Dynamos avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
