Northampton hasn't had much luck against Mathews recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Yellowjackets will be playing in front of their home fans against the Blue Devils at 4:00 p.m.
Northampton is headed into Friday's game looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their tenth straight game on Thursday. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 10-9 heartbreaker at the hands of Nandua.
Corbin Etheridge was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-4 with five RBI, one stolen base, and one double. That double marked the first that he has hit this season. Another player making a difference was Jacob Brown, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs and one RBI.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Mathews). Their pitcher stepped up to hand Charles City a 30-0 shutout on Thursday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Blue Devils considering their one-run performance the match before.
Liam Penick made a splash while hitting and pitching. He pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Penick was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in both of his plate appearances with two runs. Those two runs gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Mathews got a massive performance out of Blake Hunley, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with four runs, two stolen bases, and four RBI. Hunley has become a key player for the Blue Devils: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 5-7 otherwise. Hunter Horsley was another key player, going 3-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple.
Mathews always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .739. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Charles City only posted an OBP of .412.
Mathews' victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-7. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.8 runs over those games. As for Northampton, their loss dropped their record down to 1-11.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Northampton has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Mathews struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Northampton suffered a grim 12-6 defeat to Mathews in their previous meeting back in April. Will the Yellowjackets have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
