The Hudson Bluehawks are taking a road trip to face off against the Taconic Hills Titans at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Hudson's pitching crew has only allowed 3.9 runs per game this season, so Taconic Hills' hitters will have their work cut out for them.
On Thursday, Hudson came up short against Greenville and fell 7-2.
Hudson saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Eli Conte, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one double. Ryan Conte was another, going 1-for-2 with two stolen bases.
Meanwhile, Taconic Hills won against Cairo-Durham on Wednesday with 13 runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Thursday. The Titans put the hurt on Germantown with a sharp 13-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Titans, who have now won nine matchups by seven runs or more so far this season.
Maky Kirby was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out seven over five innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one hit in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double. That double was his first of the season.
In other batting news, Francis Conners-Schmid and Aidan Buchinsky did most of the damage at the plate: Conners-Schmid went 1-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double, while Buchinsky went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and two RBI. That's the most runs Buchinsky has posted since back in April. Gavin Hartka also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Taconic Hills has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.7 runs on average over those games. As for Hudson, their loss dropped their record down to 9-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Hudson has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Taconic Hills struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Hudson couldn't quite get it done against Taconic Hills when the teams last played back in April as they fell 4-1. Can the Bluehawks avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
