The Gateway Olympians will face off against the Northfield Nighthawks at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Gateway is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10.1 runs per game this season.
While Gateway's win against Thornton wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Olympians skirted past the Trojans 6-4. The victory continues a trend for the Olympians in their matchups with the Trojans: they've now won six in a row.
Maikol Ochoa made a big impact no matter where he played. He struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. Ochoa was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March.
Heber Almeida
| 04/12/25 vs Sierra | 4 |
| 03/25/25 @ Hinkley | 4 |
| 04/15/25 @ Thornton | 3 |
| 04/10/25 vs Overland | 3 |
| 05/01/25 vs Thornton | 2 |
| + 8 more games |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Heber Almeida, who went 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Gateway's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 7-1 (and 3-6 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Roberto Rosario, who went 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Gateway was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .381. They are 9-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last matchup, Northfield made sure to put some runs up on the board against Thomas Jefferson on Tuesday. The Nighthawks came out on top against the Spartans by a score of 11-1 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game). The result was nothing new for the Nighthawks, who have now won nine contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Jacob Lawson looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
At the plate, Eli Jackson and Cooper Haslar did most of the damage at the plate: Jackson went 3-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base, while Haslar went 1-for-2 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Jackson has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played. Another player making a difference was Ryder Wicks, who went 2-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one double.
Gateway's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-7. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.3 runs over those games. As for Northfield, their win bumped their record up to 15-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Gateway has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Northfield struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 5.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
