The Keyport Raiders will venture away from home to face off against the South Hunterdon Eagles at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Keyport's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They blew past Asbury Park 15-0. The Raiders have beaten the Bishops the last five times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Bishops has come to flipping the script.
| 04/24/25 @ Asbury Park | 3 |
| 04/02/25 @ Lakewood | 2 |
| 04/16/25 vs Long Branch | 1 |
| 04/10/25 vs Keansburg | 1 |
| 03/31/25 vs Perth Amboy Vo-Tech | 1 |
Tristan Knoblauch and Jacob Pinto were major factors while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Knoblauch struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). Meanwhile, Pinto pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Knoblauch has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits any time he's pitched this season. At the plate, Knoblauch got on base in all three of his plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Pinto went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs and one stolen base. Those three runs gave Knoblauch a new career-high.
In other batting news, Ryan Byrne was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. He has become a key player for Keyport: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 1-3 otherwise. Danny Metrick also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Keyport always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .656. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, South Hunterdon got the win against Bound Brook on Thursday by a conclusive 13-1. That looming 13-1 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Eagles yet this season.
South Hunterdon let Trevor Lingerfield and Landon Katz run wild. Lingerfield got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI, while Katz went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. Aaron Parisi was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base.
South Hunterdon is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-5 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Keyport, they now have a winning record of 4-3.
Saturday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Keyport has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .483. However, it's not like South Hunterdon struggles in that department as they've averaged .454. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
