The Ansonia Chargers will head out to challenge the Derby Red Raiders at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Ansonia is coming into the contest hot, having won their last three games.
Ansonia will bounce into Friday's match after beating Seymour, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. The Chargers walked away with a 7-3 victory over the Wildcats on Wednesday.
Derby never got on the board in their matchup on Monday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Gilbert on Thursday. They put the hurt on the Yellowjackets with a sharp 13-1 win. The Red Raiders might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five games by eight runs or more this season.
Nicholas Sheridan and Michael Slack made a splash while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Sheridan tossed 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Slack tossed 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. At bat, Sheridan went 1-for-3 with one home run, two stolen bases, and four RBI, while Slack got on base in two of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and three runs. That's the most runs Slack has posted since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Vincent Nuzzo, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Brooklyn Fernandez, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Derby always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .636. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Ansonia's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-6. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.6 runs over those games. As for Derby, their victory ended a six-game drought at home and bumped them up to 5-10.
Everything went Ansonia's way against Derby when the teams last played back in May of 2024, as Ansonia made off with a 9-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Chargers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
