The Middletown Blue Raiders will head out to take on the Annville-Cleona Dutchmen at 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Middletown is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.7 runs per game this season.
Middletown took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. They walked away with a 10-5 victory over Lancaster Catholic. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Blue Raiders considering their one-run performance the matchup before.
Mason Stiffler tossed a big game, tossing six innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in seven consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on J.P. Horetsky, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Jacob Miller, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Annville-Cleona never let their opponents score on Monday. They were the clear victors by a 6-0 margin over Tulpehocken. The Dutchmen might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven games by six runs or more this season.
Colten Shaffer was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 14 over 5.1 innings pitched. Shaffer was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Zac Frentz was excellent, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Annville-Cleona's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 6-9 when he doesn't).
Middletown's record now sits at 11-8. As for Annville-Cleona, their record is now 11-9.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
