The Jefferson Area Falcons will square off against the Struthers Wildcats at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Jefferson Area has five straight victories, Struthers has six straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Tuesday, Jefferson Area got the win against Pymatuning Valley by a conclusive 10-4. The Falcons might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven games by six runs or more this season.
Toby Dickson made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over five innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Jefferson Area is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 5-7 otherwise. Dickson was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Michael Riffle
| 04/09/25 vs Conneaut | 3 |
| 05/13/25 vs Pymatuning Valley | 2 |
| 05/12/25 vs Grand Valley | 2 |
| 05/07/25 @ Conneaut | 2 |
| 04/17/25 @ Geneva | 2 |
| + 7 more games |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Michael Riffle, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. He has become a key player for Jefferson Area: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 5-7 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Logan Saksa, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Jefferson Area kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 11 hits in five consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Struthers came up short against Girard on Tuesday and fell 7-4.
Struthers saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jordan Becker, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one run. Anthony Pastella was another, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Jefferson Area pushed their record up to 10-7 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. As for Struthers, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-16.
Struthers' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Jefferson Area hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .355. It's a different story for Struthers, though, as they've only averaged .245. Will they be able to contain Jefferson Area's hitters?
Jefferson Area skirted past Struthers 4-2 when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Do the Falcons have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Wildcats turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
