The Maryvale Flyers will be playing at home against the Alden Bulldogs at 5:15 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Maryvale is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-1 victory over Griffith Institute.
James Rindfleisch spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered one run (which was unearned) on three hits and racked up six Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in six consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Matthew Prusiecki was excellent, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with three stolen bases.
Meanwhile, in what's become a running theme this season, Alden gave their fans yet another huge win on Tuesday. They blew past City Honors 13-5. The victory was some much needed relief for Alden as it spelled an end to their four-game losing streak.
Josh Kruk and David Earsing made a splash no matter where they played. Throwing, Kruk tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Meanwhile, Earsing tossed an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. At the plate, Kruk scored four runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while Earsing scored four runs and stole a base while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances.
In other batting news, Jack Doster was excellent, scoring a run while going 2-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Steven Syracuse, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Maryvale's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-6. As for Alden, their victory bumped their record up to 8-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Maryvale has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Alden struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.2. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Maryvale was able to grind out a solid win over Alden in their previous matchup back in April of 2019, winning 3-0. Will Maryvale repeat their success, or does Alden have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
