vs
| 05/17/24 - Home | 5-3 W |
| 05/17/24 - Home | 2-0 W |
| 05/19/23 - Away | 4-3 W |
Medford is a perfect 3-0 against Stratford since May of 2023 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Raiders will head out on the road to challenge the Tigers at 4:45 p.m. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Medford is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They skirted past Antigo 10-9. The win continues a trend for the Raiders in their matchups with the Red Robins: they've now won nine in a row.
Sam Hierlmeier and Evan Wilkins did most of the damage at the plate: Hierlmeier went 1-for-4 with four RBI, one run, and one double, while Wilkins got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one double. Those four RBI gave Hierlmeier a new career-high. Restyn Kraschnewski also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Medford kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Stratford waltzed into their contest on Tuesday with four straight wins... but they left with five. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 4-3 W against the Red Raiders.
Drew Gage looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Riley Spindler, who went 1-for-3 with one home run, two stolen bases, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Brady Berg, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI.
Stratford's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-2. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Medford, they picked up their first home victory, bumping their record up to 2-4.
Medford skirted past Stratford 5-3 in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Raiders since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
