River Dell is 7-1 against New Milford since April of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Sunday. The Golden Hawks will challenge the Knights at 2:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
River Dell barely beat Cliffside Park the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Golden Hawks blew past the Raiders 14-1 on Friday. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Golden Hawks as it put an end to their six-game losing streak.
Michael DeGroat
| 05/02/25 vs Cliffside Park | 9 |
| 04/25/25 @ Fort Lee | 4 |
| 04/17/25 vs Pascack Hills | 3 |
| 04/02/25 vs Paramus Catholic | 3 |
| 04/21/25 vs Westwood | 1 |
River Dell got a great performance from Michael DeGroat as he struck out nine batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (and only one walk). Those nine strikeouts gave DeGroat a new career-high.
On the hitting side, River Dell let Chris Kelm and Nathan Silverstein run wild. Kelm went 1-for-3 with one home run and four RBI, while Silverstein went a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. Those four RBI gave Kelm a new career-high. Michael Porco was another key player, going 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs.
River Dell was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .448. They are 2-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, while New Milford put up plenty of runs on Thursday, the same can't be said for Garfield. The Knights were the clear victors by an 11-0 margin over the Boilermakers. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Knights' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Jesse Brophy made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out ten over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Liam Block, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Matthew Mulligan also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
River Dell's record is now 5-11. As for New Milford, they now have a winning record of 8-7.
River Dell took their victory against New Milford in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 10-2 score. Do the Golden Hawks have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Knights turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
