The Williamsville East Flames are taking a road trip to challenge the Hamburg Bulldogs at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Williamsville East barely beat Royalton-Hartland the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Flames blew past the Rams 13-1 on Saturday. Considering the Flames have won five matchups by more than seven runs this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
Noah Hoffman
| 05/17/25 vs Royalton-Hartland | 4 |
| 05/06/25 @ Starpoint | 2 |
| 04/25/25 @ Sweet Home | 2 |
| 05/15/25 @ Frontier | 1 |
| 05/13/25 @ Williamsville North | 1 |
Ryan McKinnon and Noah Hoffman did most of the damage at the plate: McKinnon went 3-for-4 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run, while Hoffman went a perfect 4-for-4 with three stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. Those four hits gave Hoffman a new career-high. Gabe Chambers also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Williamsville East always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .541. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Hamburg came out on top against Dunkirk on Saturday thanks in part to the team's impressive six-run fourth inning. The Bulldogs put the hurt on the Marauders with a sharp 11-2 victory. With that win, the Bulldogs brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
Max Gladke was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. He was even better at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with four stolen bases, two RBI, and one run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jonah Moscato, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. Jimmy Steffen was another key player, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
The victory was the third in a row for Hamburg, bringing their record up to 11-6-1. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.7 runs on average over those games. As for Williamsville East, their record now sits at 11-4-1.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Williamsville East has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Hamburg struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Williamsville East came out on top in a nail-biter against Hamburg when the teams last played back in May of 2024, sneaking past 8-6. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Flames since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
