The Mapletown Maples will hit the road for the first time this season to face off against the Frazier Commodores at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.
Mapletown blew Turkeyfoot Valley Area out of the water the last time the pair played, but on Wednesday Turkeyfoot Valley Area got their revenge. Mapletown fell just short of Turkeyfoot Valley Area by a score of 10-8. Maples fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team's lost against the Rams since on Wednesday.
Ashtin Nesselroad was huge no matter where he played even without the win. He pitched 3.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. Nesselroad was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one double.
Nesselroad wasn't the only one making solid contact as seven players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Ashton Walker, who scored a run while going 3-for-4. Another was Josh Howard, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Even though they lost, Mapletown kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in March of 2024.
Meanwhile, Frazier got the win against Southmoreland on Thursday by a conclusive 11-1. The Commodores have beaten the Scotties the last four times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Scotties has come to flipping the script.
Brant Alekson spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on seven hits and racked up seven Ks. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in strikeouts.
At the plate, Chase Fulmer was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 4-for-4. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played. Noah Bachinski was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.
Frazier's record now sits at 2-0. As for Mapletown, their loss dropped their record down to 1-1.
Mapletown took their victory against Frazier in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 10-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Mapletown since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
