Phillipsburg entered their tilt with Easton Area with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They won by a run and slipped past the Easton Area Rovers 5-4. This was payback for Phillipsburg, who suffered an 11-5 defeat the last time these two teams met.
For Easton Area's part, Stephen Ricicki was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out six batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and three unearned) runs off eight hits (and only one walk). Ricicki has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Easton Area saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Chase Shollenberger, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-2.
Even though they lost, Easton Area didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with six strikeouts. This was only their ninth loss (out of 14 games) when they post five or more strikeouts.
Phillipsburg's victory was their eighth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 10-5. As for Easton Area, they are on a seven-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 6-11.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Phillipsburg will take on Montgomery at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Phillipsburg's pitching crew has only allowed 3.9 runs per game this season, so Montgomery's hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Easton Area, they will play host again on Monday to welcome Bethlehem Catholic, where first pitch is scheduled at 4:00 p.m.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
