Keystone Oaks is on a three-game streak of home wins, while Waynesburg Central is on a five-game streak of away wins (dating back to last season): one of those streaks is about to end. The Golden Eagles will host the Raiders at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Keystone Oaks barely beat Brownsville the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Golden Eagles put the hurt on the Falcons with a sharp 14-7 victory on Wednesday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Golden Eagles considering their two-run performance the matchup before.
Ian Bickel
| 04/23/25 @ Brownsville | 4 |
| 04/14/25 vs Charleroi | 2 |
| 03/27/25 @ Quaker Valley | 2 |
| 03/20/25 @ Winchester Thurston | 5 |
Ian Bickel was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. What's more, he posted four strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
In other pitching news, Keystone Oaks got a great performance from Max Boehm as he tossed 4.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. The dominant performance also gave Boehm a new career-high in strikeouts (five).
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Roman Keaney, who went 3-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March. Bryce Altenbaugh was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Keystone Oaks was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Brownsville only posted a batting average of .207.
Meanwhile, Waynesburg Central made easy work of McGuffey on Wednesday and carried off a 9-2 win. The victory continues a trend for the Raiders in their matchups with the Highlanders: they've now won six in a row.
Austin Surber made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over six innings pitched. Surber was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
In other batting news, Derek Turcheck was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Grant Pack, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
Keystone Oaks has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-5 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.4 runs on average over those games. As for Waynesburg Central, their victory bumped their record up to 12-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Keystone Oaks has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Waynesburg Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Keystone Oaks skirted past Waynesburg Central 2-1 in their previous matchup back in April of 2019. Do the Golden Eagles have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Raiders turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
