The Nazareth Swifts will square off against the Petersburg Buffaloes at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Nazareth has five straight wins, Petersburg has eight straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Nazareth is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victors by a 30-2 margin over Springlake-Earth on Tuesday. The Swifts might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matches by eight runs or more this season.
Breck Proctor made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He struck out seven batters over four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits (and only one walk). He has been consistent : he hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in five consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
Zane Schulte
| 04/08/25 vs Springlake-Earth | 5 |
| 03/31/25 @ Crosbyton | 2 |
| 03/29/25 @ Petersburg | 3 |
| 03/22/25 vs Sudan | 0 |
| 03/17/25 vs Claude | 3 |
| + 3 more games |
In other batting news, Nazareth let Zane Schulte and Tripp Ethridge run wild. Schulte got on base in four of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases, five runs, and five RBI, while Ethridge went 3-for-4 with six RBI, four runs, and two doubles. With that strong performance, Schulte is now averaging an impressive 2.1 runs per game. Cameron Pohlmeier was another key player, scoring four runs and stealing a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
Nazareth always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .773. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .528 or higher in five consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Petersburg came up short against Crosbyton on Monday, falling 18-11.
Malachi Sedillo was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring a run while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Lucas Rendon, who scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Nazareth's victory was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 10-1. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.9 runs on average over those games. As for Petersburg, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-9.
Friday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Nazareth has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .643. However, it's not like Petersburg struggles in that department as they've averaged .442. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Nazareth's way against Petersburg in their previous matchup last Saturday, as Nazareth made off with a 17-5 victory. Will the Swifts repeat their success, or do the Buffaloes have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
