Baseball Game Preview: Middletown North Lions vs. Long Branch Green Wave

Middletown North is a perfect 7-0 against Long Branch since April of 2017 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Monday. The Lions will head out on the road to take on the Green Wave at 3:45 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Middletown North was handed a seven-run loss in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 4-3 win over Middletown South.

Meanwhile, Long Branch came into Saturday's matchup having lost six straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They blew past East Side 13-1 on Saturday. The Green Wave might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five games by six runs or more this season.

Havier Gonzalez and Kellen Campbell did most of the damage at the plate: Gonzalez got on base in all four of his plate appearances with five stolen bases, two runs, and one triple, while Campbell went 2-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and one double. Gonzalez has become a key player for Long Branch: the team is 4-1 when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 2-9 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaylen Brooks, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases and two runs.

Long Branch always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .579. The last time their OBP was this high was back in April.

Middletown North's record is now 7-8. As for Long Branch, their record now sits at 6-10.

Everything went Middletown North's way against Long Branch when the teams last played back in May of 2023, as Middletown North made off with a 13-3 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Lions since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.