The New Milford Knights will challenge the Lodi Rams at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.
New Milford is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They put the hurt on Leonia with a sharp 12-2 victory on Friday. The Knights not only won on Friday, but they posted their biggest win since May 17, 2024 (when they won 11-0).
Jesse Brophy
| 04/25/25 @ Leonia | 8 |
| 04/19/25 vs Fort Lee | 5 |
| 03/31/25 @ Rutherford | 4 |
| 04/15/25 vs Midland Park | 2 |
Jesse Brophy made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over six innings pitched. Those eight strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all five of his plate appearances with two RBI and one double.
In other batting news, Liam Block was a standout: he got on base in all five of his plate appearances with four stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. Those four stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Andy Aviles, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
New Milford kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in six consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Lodi hadn't done well against Garfield recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. The Rams were the clear victors by a 9-2 margin over the Boilermakers.
Like New Milford, Lodi also got a great game from a two-way player: Jonas Martinez. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits. Martinez was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and one double. He has become a key player for Lodi: the team is 3-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 1-5-1 otherwise.
Martinez wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Emmanuel Rodriquez, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with three RBI, one triple, and one run.
Lodi's win bumped their record up to 4-6-1. As for New Milford, their victory bumped their record up to 7-5.
New Milford came out on top in a nail-biter against Lodi in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, sneaking past 7-6. Do the Knights have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Rams turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
