North Pocono had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 21-run drubbing they dealt West Scranton on Thursday. The Trojans put the hurt on the Invaders with a sharp 22-1 win. That looming 22-1 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Trojans yet this season.
Cael Hafner made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out nine batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs while getting on base in five of his six plate appearances. That's the most runs he has posted since back in May of 2024.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jake Reese, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in five of his six plate appearances. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in RBI (three). Josh Staples was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
North Pocono always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .596. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as West Scranton only posted an OBP of .227.
Trojans
| 04/10/25 @ West Scranton | 22-1 |
| 04/09/25 @ Wallenpaupack Area | 3-1 |
| 04/02/25 @ Valley View | 5-0 |
| 03/27/25 @ Berwick | 5-0 |
| 03/25/25 vs Holy Cross | 5-0 |
The victory (which was North Pocono's fifth in a row) raised their record to 5-2. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.4 runs on average over those games. As for West Scranton, their defeat was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 1-5.
Coming up, North Pocono will take on Bethlehem Catholic at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. The Hawks have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 6.8 runs per game on average), something the Trojans will no doubt try to take advantage of. As for West Scranton, they will face off against Wallenpaupack Area at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
