Tamaqua hasn't had much luck against North Schuylkill recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Blue Raiders will be playing at home against the Spartans at 4:30 p.m. Tamaqua will be looking to extend their current eight-game winning streak.
Tamaqua barely beat Blue Mountain the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Blue Raiders never let the Eagles get on the board and left with an 11-0 victory on Tuesday. Considering the Blue Raiders have won six matchups by more than seven runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Mason Ligenza made a splash no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over six innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in seven consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one home run, two stolen bases, and three runs. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March.
Cooper Ansbach
| 04/29/25 vs Blue Mountain | 4 |
| 05/16/24 @ Blue Mountain | 3 |
| 04/16/24 vs Pottsville | 3 |
| 04/24/25 vs Conrad Weiser | 2 |
| 04/11/25 @ Minersville | 2 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Cooper Ansbach, who fired off two home runs and four RBI while going 3-for-4. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jake Yenser, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs.
Tamaqua was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .444. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, North Schuylkill might've scored the first runs on Tuesday, but it was Pine Grove who claimed the real prize. The Spartans fell just short of the Cardinals by a score of 2-1. The Spartans haven't had much luck with the Cardinals recently, as the team has come up short the last eight times they've met.
Tamaqua's win was their ninth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 16-1. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.0 runs over those games. As for North Schuylkill, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-10.
Tamaqua's speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's game. The Blue Raiders have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.9 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for North Schuylkill, though, as they've been averaging only 0.9 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Tamaqua continue to outrun the ball?
Tamaqua beat North Schuylkill 5-2 when the teams last played last Monday. Do the Blue Raiders have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Spartans turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
