Clarkstown South has won three straight games at home, while John Jay has won three straight on the road dating back to last season, but those streaks won't matter much on Saturday. The Vikings will host the Patriots at 11:00 a.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Clarkstown South 2.9, John Jay 2.2) so any runs scored will be well earned.
While Clarkstown South didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-13), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They were the clear victors by an 8-1 margin over Nyack on Thursday. Considering the Vikings have won three games by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Nick Speckenbach made a splash no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 12 over six innings pitched. Those 12 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Justin Amodeo, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI. Kenny Johnston was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one RBI.
Meanwhile, it may have taken nine innings to finish the job, but John Jay ultimately got the result they hoped for on Thursday. They had just enough and edged out Suffern 7-6. Seven seems to be a good number for the Patriots as the team scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Anthony Batkay looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits.
At the plate, Vinny Angioletti was excellent, going 3-for-4 with three stolen bases and two runs. Another player making a difference was Shane Driscoll, who got on base in two of his five plate appearances with one run and one RBI.
John Jay's win bumped their record up to 6-0. As for Clarkstown South, their victory bumped their record up to 6-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Clarkstown South has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like John Jay struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Clarkstown South beat John Jay 9-5 in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Will the Vikings repeat their success, or do the Patriots have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
