The Nipmuc Regional Warriors will challenge the Grafton Gators at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Nipmuc Regional 1.8, Grafton 3) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Nipmuc Regional fought the good fight in their extra-innings match against Hopedale on Wednesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Blue Raiders by a score of 5-3. The Warriors have struggled against the Blue Raiders recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost meeting.
Grady O'Neil made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Grafton got the win against Bartlett on Tuesday by a conclusive 11-1. The win continues a trend for the Gators in their matchups with the Indians: they've now won five in a row.
Chris Kiesiner made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 11 over six innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in May of 2024. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base.
Kiesiner wasn't the only one making solid contact as seven players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was C.J. Chagnon, who went 2-for-4 with one run.
Grafton now has a winning record of 4-3. As for Nipmuc Regional, their loss was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 4-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Nipmuc Regional has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Grafton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Nipmuc Regional took their victory against Grafton in their previous meeting back in April of 2019 by a conclusive 15-1 score. Will the Warriors repeat their success, or do the Gators have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
