Mathews has gone a perfect 3-0 against Northampton recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Blue Devils will take on the Yellowjackets at 4:00 p.m. Mathews is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.3 runs per game this season.
Mathews had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 30-run drubbing they dealt Charles City on Thursday. The Blue Devils were the clear victors by a 30-0 margin over the Panthers. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Blue Devils considering their one-run performance the game before.
Liam Penick made a splash no matter where he played. He pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Penick was also big at the plate, getting on base in both of his plate appearances with two runs. Those two runs gave him a new career-high.
Blake Hunley
| 05/08/25 vs Charles City | 4 |
| 04/16/24 vs Charles City | 3 |
| 04/23/25 vs Northampton | 2 |
| 05/03/24 @ Northampton | 2 |
| 04/18/24 @ West Point | 2 |
In other batting news, Blake Hunley was a standout: he got on base in four of his five plate appearances with four runs, two stolen bases, and four RBI. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Hunter Horsley, who went 3-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple.
Mathews was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .645. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Northampton fought the good fight in their extra-innings matchup against Nandua on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Warriors by a score of 10-9. The Yellowjackets just can't catch a break and have now endured ten defeats in a row.
Corbin Etheridge made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with five RBI, one stolen base, and one double. That double was his first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Jacob Brown, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs and one RBI.
Mathews has been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.5 runs on average over those games. As for Northampton, their loss dropped their record down to 1-11.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Mathews has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 6.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Northampton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Mathews' way against Northampton in their previous meeting back in April, as Mathews made off with a 12-6 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Blue Devils since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
