The Madison Dodgers will head out to challenge the West Milford Highlanders at 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday.
Madison blew North Hunterdon out of the water the last time the pair played, but on Monday North Hunterdon got their revenge. The Dodgers fell just short of the Lions by a score of 6-4. That makes it the first time this season the Dodgers have let down their home crowd.
James Doehner was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out nine batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks any time he's pitched this season.
At the plate, Madison saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Luke McGuire, who went 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Chris Vaughn also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Meanwhile, West Milford made easy work of Teaneck on Monday and carried off a 12-2 victory. The result was nothing new for the Highlanders, who have now won three games by eight runs or more so far this season.
Blake Tyburczy made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits. West Milford is undefeated when Tyburczy allows one or fewer earned runs, but 1-2 otherwise. Tyburczy was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, Chase Tyburczy was incredible, going 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. Mason LaNeve was another key player, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double.
West Milford always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .576. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
The win made it two in a row for West Milford and bumps their season record up to 4-2. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. As for Madison, they suffered their first home defeat, dropping their record down to 5-5.
