Marlington is a perfect 10-0 against Salem since April of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Dukes will be taking part in a tournament against the Quakers at 5:00 p.m. Marlington is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.8 runs per game this season.
Marlington not only won on Monday, but they posted their biggest win since April 17th (when they won 12-0). They put the hurt on East Canton with a sharp 14-3 win.
Logan Smith made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one walk in seven consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
Matthew Baldwin
| 05/18/26 vs East Canton | 3 |
| 04/28/26 @ Salem | 2 |
| 04/14/26 @ West Branch | 2 |
| 04/08/26 vs Carrollton | 2 |
| 03/27/26 @ Sandy Valley | 2 |
In other batting news, Matthew Baldwin was excellent, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Carson Klusch, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with two runs and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Salem was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their fifth straight defeat. They lost 14-6 to Struthers.
Jack Andres made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run. Ben Kuboff was another key player, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with one run.
Marlington is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-6-1 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.3 runs over those games. As for Salem, their loss dropped their record down to 2-20.
Salem's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Marlington hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .325. It's a different story for Salem, though, as they've only averaged .231. Will they be able to contain Marlington's hitters?
Marlington came out on top in a nail-biter against Salem in their previous meeting back in April, sneaking past 2-1. Do the Dukes have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Quakers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
