The Middletown Islanders will square off against the Toll Gate Titans at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Middletown is coming into the match on a five-game losing streak.
On Tuesday, Middletown came up short against St. Raphael Academy and fell 6-2.
Evan LeVasseur made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double.
Meanwhile, Toll Gate was not the first on the board on Tuesday, but they got there more often. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-1 victory over Johnston. The Titans haven't had any issues with the Panthers recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.
Jack Colvin spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on four hits and racked up eight Ks. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Toll Gate is 3-1 when he allows at most two earned runs, but 1-12 otherwise.
At the plate, Toll Gate saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Edward Rosario, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI. That's the most hits Rosario has posted since back in April. Shane Moro also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Middletown's defeat dropped their record down to 4-10. As for Toll Gate, their victory bumped their record up to 4-13.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Middletown has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Toll Gate struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Middletown couldn't quite get it done against Toll Gate in their previous matchup back in May of 2018 as they fell 5-2. Can the Islanders avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
