The Old Forge Blue Devils will challenge the Hanover Area Hawkeyes at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
If Old Forge beats Hanover Area with ten runs on Saturday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two matchups with that exact score. The Blue Devils' pitcher stepped up to hand Lakeland a 10-0 shutout on Wednesday. With that win, the Blue Devils brought their scoring average up to 6.6 runs per game.
Kamryn Notari made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over six innings pitched. Notari was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one run and one double. That double was her first of the season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kate O'Hearn, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. Another player making a difference was Ava Arnold, who went 3-for-4 with three runs and one double.
Old Forge was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .423. The last time their batting average was this high was back in May of 2025.
Greater Nanticoke Area hit Hanover Area with a seven-run sixth inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Hawkeyes fell just short of the Trojans by a score of 14-13. Even though they lost, the Hawkeyes' still made a splash at the plate and bumped their average scoring up to 6.8 runs per game (they're now ranked -1th in scoring overall).
Hanover Area got a massive performance out of Natalie Weidner, who went 3-for-4 with four runs, three RBI, and two doubles. Roxy Brandolino was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one RBI.
Old Forge's victory was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-3. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average this season. As for Hanover Area, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-5.
Hanover Area's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Old Forge has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10 hits per game. It's a different story for Hanover Area, though, as they've been averaging 12.5 hits. Given Old Forge's sizable advantage in that area, the Hawkeyes will need to find a way to close that gap.
Old Forge got the 'W' when the teams last played back in March of 2023 against Hanover Area by a conclusive 10-0 score. Will the Blue Devils repeat their success, or do the Hawkeyes have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
