Mahwah is 2-8 against Westwood since May of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Thunderbirds will challenge the Cardinals at 4:15 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Saturday, Mahwah beat Paramus 6-3. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Thunderbirds.
Chris Defelice looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Bobby Gourley, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, one double, and one RBI. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Matt Mackey, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Westwood had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 3 runs) and they went ahead and made it four on Saturday. They came out on top against the Maroon Raiders by a score of 4-1.
Jack Turcina spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on eight hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Steve Klein was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times he's played. Gabe Arcieri also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Mahwah's record now sits at 9-6. As for Westwood, their record is now 10-5.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Monday. Mahwah hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.4 home runs per game. However, it's not like Westwood struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.4 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Mahwah might still be hurting after the 8-2 loss they got from Westwood when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can the Thunderbirds avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
