The Caldwell Chiefs will venture away from home to challenge the Nutley Maroon Raiders at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Caldwell will be strutting in after a win while Nutley will be coming in after a defeat.
Caldwell will bounce into Wednesday's match after beating Bloomfield, who they had gone 1-6 against in their seven prior meetings. The Chiefs were the clear victors by a 13-0 margin over the Bengals on Monday. The Chiefs' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Vin Brown tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out seven over five innings pitched.
On the hitting side, Dante Placenti was incredible, going 3-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and one double. That double marked the first that he has hit this season. Marco Sozio was another key player, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double.
Caldwell kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Bloomfield only managed two hits.
Meanwhile, Nutley came up short against Cedar Grove on Monday, falling 17-6.
Anthony Straface was cooking despite his team's loss, going 3-for-5 with three RBI and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Santino Ruiz, who went 1-for-3 with two runs.
Caldwell has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.8 runs over those games. As for Nutley, they have been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 5-6 record this season.
Caldwell was able to grind out a solid win over Nutley in their previous matchup on April 3rd, winning 4-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Chiefs since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
