The New Plymouth Pilgrims will take on the Payette Pirates at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as New Plymouth comes in on five and Payette on four.
If New Plymouth beats Payette with 16 runs on Friday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two matchups with that exact score. New Plymouth was the clear victor by a 16-1 margin over Garden Valley on Wednesday. While the Pilgrims didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-12-1), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Jacob Hartle
| 03/26/25 vs Garden Valley | 1 |
| 03/21/25 @ Weiser | 1 |
| 03/21/25 @ Weiser | 1 |
New Plymouth got a massive performance out of Jacob Hartle, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Hartle has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played. Another player making a difference was Payton Zigga, who scored two runs and stole three bases while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
New Plymouth always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .559. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Garden Valley only posted an OBP of .263.
Meanwhile, Payette won against Firth on Friday with six runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Monday. Payette came out on top in a nail-biter against Marsing, sneaking past 6-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Pirates have posted since May 4, 2024.
Jahzyon Sylva made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up three earned runs off seven hits. Sylva was even better at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-3. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in doubles (two).
Sylva wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Darrien Pecunia, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-2. Jake Penfold was another, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances.
Payette's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 4-3. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for New Plymouth, their victory bumped their record up to 5-2.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. New Plymouth has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Payette struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
New Plymouth came out on top in a nail-biter against Payette in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, sneaking past 8-6. Will New Plymouth repeat their success, or does Payette has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
