The Watervliet Cannoneers are taking a road trip to challenge the Cairo-Durham Mustangs at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Cairo-Durham took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Watervliet, who comes in off a win.
While Watervliet's victory against Germantown wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Cannoneers won by a run and slipped past the Clippers 3-2. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Cannoneers have posted since April 8th.
Brady Kelly
| 04/29/26 vs Germantown | 9 |
| 04/25/26 vs Catskill | 9 |
| 04/20/26 @ Greenville | 8 |
| 04/15/26 @ Chatham | 5 |
| 04/09/26 vs Stillwater | 4 |
Brady Kelly made a big impact no matter where he played. He struck out nine batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits. He has become a key player for Watervliet: the team is undefeated when he posts at least eight strikeouts, but 3-7 otherwise. Kelly was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Leo Soroka was excellent, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one stolen base and one run. Anthony Pastore also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, Cairo-Durham didn't have quite enough to beat Rensselaer on Wednesday and fell 12-11.
Nico Martines and Jake Young did some serious damage despite the final result: Martines went 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and one stolen base, while Young got on base in three of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. Luke Hulbert was another key player, getting on base in two of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Watervliet's record now sits at 6-7. As for Cairo-Durham, their loss dropped their record down to 6-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Watervliet has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Cairo-Durham struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
