The Thomas A. Edison Owls will take on the Science Leadership Academy Rockets at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Thomas A. Edison barely beat Maritime Academy Charter the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Owls blew past the Seadogs 19-9 on Tuesday. The Owls' victory was nothing new given the team hasn't lost yet this season.
Junior Rodriguez and Erick Torres-Brito made a splash no matter where they played. On the mound, Rodriguez tossed two innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Meanwhile, Torres-Brito struck out six batters over 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). Rodriguez has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk any time he's pitched this season. At the plate, Rodriguez got on base in four of his six plate appearances with two stolen bases, four RBI, and two runs, while Torres-Brito went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Yonser Bautista Mota was a standout: he went a perfect 4-for-4 with three stolen bases, two runs, and two doubles. Another player making a difference was Welfrey Herrera, who went 3-for-5 with three runs, four RBI, and one triple.
Thomas A. Edison was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .576. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .333 or higher in six consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Science Leadership Academy was not the first on the board on Tuesday, but they got there more often. They put the hurt on Boys' Latin Charter with a sharp 17-7 win.
Like Thomas A. Edison, Science Leadership Academy also got a great game from a two-way player: Oliver Gonzalez. On the mound, he pitched two innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. The dominant performance also gave Gonzalez a new career-high in strikeouts (four). He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Science Leadership Academy got a massive performance out of Cash Iezzi, who got on base in all five of his plate appearances with three stolen bases, four runs, and two RBI. Those four runs gave Iezzi a new career-high. Desmond Maggione was another key player, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases and three runs.
Science Leadership Academy's victory bumped their record up to 3-0. As for Thomas A. Edison, their win bumped their record up to an identical 3-0.
Both the two teams just can't seem to miss. Thomas A. Edison has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 13.7 hits per game. However, it's not like Science Leadership Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Thomas A. Edison couldn't quite finish off Science Leadership Academy in their previous matchup back in April of 2016 and fell 6-4. Can the Owls avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
