The Philipsburg-Osceola Mountaineers will head out on the road to face off against the Westmont Hilltop Hilltoppers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Philipsburg-Osceola is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.
Philipsburg-Osceola's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Bald Eagle Area with a sharp 6-0 win. Considering the Mountaineers have won four games by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Fischer White
| 04/01/25 vs Bald Eagle Area | 3 |
| 03/25/25 @ Bellwood-Antis | 2 |
| 05/08/24 @ Bishop Guilfoyle | 2 |
| 05/01/24 vs Tyrone | 2 |
| 03/27/25 vs Hollidaysburg | 1 |
The team relied heavily on Fischer White, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI and one double. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Parker Lamb was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Westmont Hilltop). They blew past Greater Johnstown 14-4 on Tuesday. With that victory, the Hilltoppers brought their scoring average up to 7.8 runs per game.
Brady Gartner and Justin Ray made a splash while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Gartner pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Ray pitched four innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits. Gartner has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances. At the plate, Gartner went 3-for-4 with one RBI, while Ray went 3-for-4 with two RBI. Those RBI were Ray's first of the season.
In other batting news, Bryce Goodman was a standout: he scored two runs while going 3-for-4. Dominic Chiodo also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Westmont Hilltop was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .484. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive contests.
Philipsburg-Osceola's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-0. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Westmont Hilltop, their win ended a four-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 2-2.
Friday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Philipsburg-Osceola has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .467. However, it's not like Westmont Hilltop struggles in that department as they've averaged .484. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Philipsburg-Osceola was able to grind out a solid victory over Westmont Hilltop when the teams last played back in April of 2024, winning 6-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Mountaineers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
