Leonia had lost four straight on the road, but on Tuesday they dropped their record down to 3-13 to make it five. They took a 4-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Wood-Ridge Blue Devils. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Lions of the 6-3 loss they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in April of 2016.
As for Wood-Ridge, they are on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last 12 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-7 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.7 runs over those games.
For Wood-Ridge's part, Lucas Mendoza made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He pitched seven innings while giving up just one earned run off six hits. Mendoza has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base and one run. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Nick Scalera, who went 1-for-2 with two runs and one stolen base. He has become a key player for Wood-Ridge: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 6-7 otherwise. Nicolas Mabel was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two RBI.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Leonia will take on St. Mary at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The Gaels' pitching crew has only allowed 3.8 runs per game this season, so the Lions' hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Wood-Ridge, they will challenge Midland Park at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
