The Northern Lehigh Bulldogs will square off against the Jim Thorpe Olympians at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Northern Lehigh is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7 runs per game this season.
Northern Lehigh will bounce into Saturday's matchup after beating Lehighton, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. The Bulldogs were the clear victors by a 10-3 margin over the Indians on Wednesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Bulldogs have posted against the Indians since April 5, 2016.
Braedon Dougherty
| 04/30/25 @ Lehighton | 4 |
| 04/04/25 @ Jim Thorpe | 3 |
| 03/27/25 vs Wilson Area | 3 |
| 04/10/25 vs Notre Dame | 2 |
| 04/29/25 vs Hamburg | 1 |
The team relied heavily on Braedon Dougherty, who went 3-for-4 with four RBI, one run, and one double. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Coy Daubert, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Northern Lehigh kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.6 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 games they've averaged 9.6.
Meanwhile, Jim Thorpe beat Northwestern Lehigh 7-4 on Wednesday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Olympians.
Kaden Hess made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He pitched seven innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
In other batting news, Jim Thorpe let Nikolas Schwartz and Tanner MoDavis run wild. Schwartz went a perfect 4-for-4 with one run, while MoDavis got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run and one RBI. Schwartz has become a key player for Jim Thorpe: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least three hits, but 6-9 otherwise. Noah Pastor was another key player, going 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
Jim Thorpe's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-10. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.7 runs over those games. As for Northern Lehigh, their win bumped their record up to 7-11.
Northern Lehigh came out on top in a nail-biter against Jim Thorpe in their previous meeting back in April, sneaking past 8-6. Do the Bulldogs have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Olympians turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
