Northgate hasn't had much luck against New Brighton recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Flames are taking a road trip to square off against the Lions at 4:00 p.m. Northgate will be strutting in after a win while New Brighton will be coming in after a loss.
On Wednesday, Northgate got the win against Aliquippa by a conclusive 11-5. The Flames haven't had any issues with the Quips recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive victory against them.
Dwayne Reed
| 04/16/25 @ Aliquippa | 10 |
| 05/02/24 vs Aliquippa | 6 |
| 03/26/25 vs Hillel Academy | 5 |
| 04/16/24 vs New Brighton | 3 |
| 03/15/24 @ Carlynton | 2 |
Dwayne Reed was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out ten batters over five innings while giving up five earned runs off three hits. Those ten strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, Sam Stiteler and Anthony Barron did most of the damage at the plate: Stiteler got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and two RBI, while Barron went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI. Barron is becoming a predictor of Northgate's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 3-1 (and 1-7 when he doesn't). Devontae Smith was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.
Northgate always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .583. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, New Brighton didn't have quite enough to beat Freedom Area on Thursday and fell 3-2. The game marked the Lions' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
New Brighton saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brock Budacki, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and one run. Budacki is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last eight games he's played.
Northgate picked up their first road win, bumping their record up to 4-8. As for New Brighton, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 6-5.
Northgate might still be hurting after the 19-2 defeat they got from New Brighton in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Flames avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
