Middletown North had lost three straight on the road, but on Wednesday they dropped their record down to 3-6 to make it four. They fell just short of the Manalapan Braves by a score of 2-1. The matchup marked the Lions' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
As for Manalapan, the victory was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record up to 5-4. They've had to fight for that success though, as they only beat their opponents by an average of 2.25 runs across that stretch.
For Manalapan's part, Leo Vitale spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on five hits and racked up 11 Ks. Those 11 strikeouts set a new season-high mark for Vitale.
On the hitting side, Manalapan saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brandon Heller, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI. Those two RBI gave Heller a new career-high. Dennis Healy also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
Coming up, Middletown North will be playing in front of their home fans against St. Rose at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday. Manalapan will be paying especially close attention to the Lions' game: after the Lions face off against the Purple Roses, they'll take on Manalapan again at 3:45 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
