The Danville Ironmen will challenge the Midd-West Mustangs at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Danville will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
Danville proved they can win big last Wednesday (they won by 19) and on Wednesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They skirted past Central Columbia 7-5. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Ironmen have posted since June 6, 2024.
Wyatt Shultz was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Shultz was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with two stolen bases and one RBI. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in April of 2024.
James Ciccarelli
| 04/23/25 @ Central Columbia | 1 |
| 04/11/25 vs Lewisburg | 2 |
| 03/31/25 vs Shikellamy | 2 |
| 03/24/25 @ Mifflinburg | 1 |
| 03/22/25 @ Loyalsock Township | 1 |
In other pitching news, James Ciccarelli looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over 3.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Garrett Hoffman, who earned two RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. That stolen base was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Lincoln Diehl, who went 2-for-5 with three RBI.
Danville kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Midd-West earned a 16-13 victory over Milton on Wednesday. The Mustangs haven't had any issues with the Black Panthers recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive win against them.
Kyle Shupp was incredible, getting on base in five of his six plate appearances with four stolen bases, five runs, and two doubles. He is becoming a predictor of Midd-West's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 3-1 (and 1-5 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Alex Trogan, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and one RBI.
Danville's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 11-2. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.3 runs over those games. As for Midd-West, their victory bumped their record up to 4-6.
Everything went Danville's way against Midd-West in their previous matchup on April 7th, as Danville made off with a 16-3 win. Do the Ironmen have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Mustangs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
