The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Raiders will take on the New Providence Pioneers at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Scotch Plains-Fanwood is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last four games.
Scotch Plains-Fanwood barely beat Cranford the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Raiders blew past the Cougars 11-4 on Tuesday.
Davis Murphy looked comfortable as he struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
On the hitting side, Scotch Plains-Fanwood let Jack Sponheimer and Ian Losardo run wild. Sponheimer went 2-for-5 with one home run and three RBI, while Losardo went 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and one double. Those RBI were Sponheimer's first of the season. Ronnie Germinder was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Scotch Plains-Fanwood kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in April of 2024.
Meanwhile, New Providence started off well but failed to capitalize on an early lead against Union Catholic. They fell just short of the Vikings by a score of 4-2 on Tuesday. The Pioneers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
New Providence saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Troy Faucher, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.
Scotch Plains-Fanwood's victory bumped their record up to 4-1. As for New Providence, they now have a losing record of 1-2.
New Providence's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Scotch Plains-Fanwood hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .367. It's a different story for New Providence, though, as they've only averaged .238. Will they be able to contain Scotch Plains-Fanwood's hitters?
Scotch Plains-Fanwood might still be hurting after the 10-0 defeat they got from New Providence in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Will the Raiders have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
