For the first time this season, Conneaut Area will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. They will host the North East Grape Pickers at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Conneaut Area took a loss when they played away from home two weeks ago, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They came out on top against Sharpsville by a score of 5-2.
Conneaut Area saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Chase Stewart, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one RBI. Another was Lucas Aldrich, who scored two runs while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
Meanwhile, North East strolled into their game on Monday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They walked away with a 6-2 win over Seneca. While the Grape Pickers didn't have the best season last year (they finished 4-12), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Matt Nishnick looked comfortable as he pitched 3.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Coen Turri and Colton Owens did most of the damage at the plate: Turri went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and two RBI, while Owens scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Those two RBI gave Turri a new career-high. Jerek Turlij was another key player, going 1-for-4 with one home run.
North East's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-0. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Conneaut Area, the victory got them back to even at 2-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Conneaut Area has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like North East struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 14.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
