Baseball Game Preview: Mahwah Thunderbirds vs. Ridgefield Park Scarlets

Mahwah is 9-1 against Ridgefield Park since April of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Thunderbirds will host the Scarlets at 4:15 p.m. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Mahwah made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Indian Hills, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Thunderbirds blew past the Braves 8-1 on Wednesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Thunderbirds have posted against the Braves since April 22, 2022.

Ryan Hawken and Matt Mackey did most of the damage at the plate: Hawken went 1-for-2 with one home run and three RBI, while Mackey scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Those two stolen bases gave Mackey a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jake Buonanno, who scored two runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.

Meanwhile, Ridgefield Park sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-4 win over Dumont on Wednesday. The victory continues a trend for the Scarlets in their matchups with the Huskies: they've now won three in a row.

The team relied heavily on Jason Alvarado, who scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-4. He has been hot recently, having posted three or more hits the last three times he's played. Mike Clement was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one triple and two RBI.

Ridgefield Park was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .433. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.

Mahwah is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 4-2 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.8 runs over those games. As for Ridgefield Park, they now have a winning record of 3-2.

Everything went Mahwah's way against Ridgefield Park in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, as Mahwah made off with a 10-0 victory. Do the Thunderbirds have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Scarlets turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.