Pine Plains and Dover are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2019, but likely not for long. The Bombers will head out on the road to face off against the Dragons at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday. Pine Plains will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak.
Pine Plains came out on top against Rhinebeck on Monday thanks in part to the team's impressive six-run seventh inning. The Bombers were the clear victors by a 9-2 margin over the Hawks. The result was nothing new for the Bombers, who have now won five matchups by seven runs or more so far this season.
Brodie Rathjen
| 04/22/25 @ Taconic Hills | 3 |
| 04/10/25 vs Millbrook | 3 |
| 04/08/25 vs Webutuck | 2 |
| 04/04/25 vs Red Hook | 2 |
Brodie Rathjen and Warren Lounsbury made a big impact while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Rathjen tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Lounsbury didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Rathjen also tossed no walks, which is notable because Pine Plains is 3-1 when he allows at most two walks, but 2-3 otherwise. At bat, Rathjen got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run, while Lounsbury went 2-for-5 with three stolen bases and two runs. Lounsbury is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games he's played.
In other batting news, Ryan Blass was excellent, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. He has become a key player for Pine Plains: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 1-4 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Owen Zengen, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one RBI.
Meanwhile, it may have taken nine innings to finish the job, but Dover ultimately got the result they hoped for on Wednesday. They skirted past Millbrook 5-3. Five seems to be a good number for the Dragons as the squad scooped up a win with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Like Pine Plains, Dover also got a great game from a two-way player: Evan Arnold. He struck out eight batters over eight innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off ten hits (and only one walk). Arnold was also big at the plate, going 2-for-5 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Those hits were his first of the season.
Arnold wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Jeramiah Kerr Lucero, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base. Those runs marked the first that Kerr Lucero has scored this season.
Pine Plains pushed their record up to 5-4 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Dover, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 2-2.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Pine Plains has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Dover struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Pine Plains took their win against Dover in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 10-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bombers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
