The Bradford Owls will challenge the St. Marys Flying Dutch at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
While Bradford's victory against Brockway wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Owls won by a run and slipped past the Rovers 4-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Owls have posted since March 24th.
Bradford saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Owen Degolier, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one stolen base. Another was Evan Whitmore, who went 1-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, St. Marys earned a 10-6 victory over Clarion-Limestone on Friday. That's two games straight that the Flying Dutch have won by exactly four runs.
Mason Nicklas made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out six batters over 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because St. Marys is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 6-8 otherwise. Nicklas was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and one double. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ben Reynolds, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base. St. Marys is 4-1 when Reynolds posts two or more runs, but 5-7 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Jackson Vollmer, who went 1-for-4 with one triple and one RBI.
St. Marys kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. They are a perfect 5-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Bradford's win bumped their record up to 5-10-1. As for St. Marys, they now have a winning record of 9-8.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Bradford has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like St. Marys struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.6 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
