The Schalick Cougars are taking a road trip to face off against the Cumberland Colts at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Schalick is coming into the game hot, having won their last seven games.
Schalick's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They blew past Buena 10-0. Considering the Cougars have won 14 contests by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Luke Pokrovsky made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up a single earned run in six consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April.
In other batting news, Evan Glaspey was a standout: he went 2-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April. Ricky Watts was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run and one stolen base.
Schalick lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, it may have taken ten innings to finish the job, but Cumberland ultimately got the result they hoped for last Thursday. They had just enough and edged out Delsea 10-9. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Colts as it put an end to their nine-game losing streak.
Landon Oswald looked comfortable as he pitched 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits.
On the hitting side, Cumberland saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kameron Fiorani, who went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
Schalick's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 19-1. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Cumberland, their win was their first in the league, bumping their league record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 4-18.
Cumberland's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Schalick hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .392. It's a different story for Cumberland, though, as they've only averaged .246. Will they be able to contain Schalick's hitters?
Schalick couldn't quite finish off Cumberland in their previous meeting back in May of 2024 and fell 2-0. Can the Cougars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
