Derby hasn't had much luck against Naugatuck recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Red Raiders will be playing at home against the Greyhounds at 6:30 p.m. Derby is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.3 runs per game this season.
Derby barely beat Crosby the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Red Raiders put the hurt on the Bulldogs with a sharp 13-3 win on Monday. The Red Raiders haven't had any issues with the Bulldogs recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive victory against them.
Nikolas Kotucek
| 04/17/25 @ Watertown | 3 |
| 04/19/25 @ Seymour | 2 |
| 04/11/25 @ Wilby | 1 |
| 04/09/25 vs Torrington | 1 |
Nikolas Kotucek and Michael Slack made a splash no matter where they played. Throwing, Kotucek tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Slack tossed four innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. Derby is 2-1 when Kotucek allows one or fewer hits, but 1-3 otherwise. At bat, Kotucek went 1-for-4 with three RBI and one stolen base, while Slack got on base in all four of his plate appearances with three stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. With that strong performance, Slack is now averaging an impressive 1.1 stolen bases per game.
In other batting news, Derby let Isaac McNeill and Jayzair Barbera run wild. McNeill went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Barbera went 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. That's the most hits Barbera has posted since back in April of 2024. Nicholas Sheridan was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and one run.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Naugatuck, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They never let Wolcott get on the board and left with a 3-0 win on Wednesday. The three-run effort marked the Greyhounds' lowest-scoring contest of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Not much got past Kevin Cestari, who gave up just five hits and racked up eight Ks to keep Wolcott off the board. Cestari has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Naugatuck saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jose Guzman, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base.
Naugatuck's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-3. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Derby, their victory bumped their record up to 3-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Derby has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Naugatuck struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Derby might still be hurting after the 14-4 defeat they got from Naugatuck in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Can the Red Raiders avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
