The Niagara Falls Wolverines are taking a road trip to square off against the North Tonawanda Lumberjacks at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Niagara Falls has six straight wins, North Tonawanda has six straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Niagara Falls came out on top against Grand Island on Friday thanks in part to the team's impressive four-run third inning. The Wolverines never let the Vikings get on the board and left with a 7-0 victory. The Wolverines might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight matches by six runs or more this season.
The result came thanks to Andre Borges's shutout, as he gave up just six hits and racked up ten Ks.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Nicholas Ligammari, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Anthony Littere, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one double.
Meanwhile, North Tonawanda didn't have quite enough to beat Kenmore East on Friday and fell 3-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Lumberjacks have suffered against the Bulldogs since May 19, 2019.
Aiden Shingleton spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned runs on seven hits and racked up six Ks.
At the plate, North Tonawanda saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Javi Ortiz, who went 1-for-2 with one RBI.
Niagara Falls' win was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-1. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs on average over those games. As for North Tonawanda, their loss dropped their record down to 1-6.
Niagara Falls' speedy runners might be the difference in Saturday's game. The Wolverines have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.2 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for North Tonawanda, though, as they've been averaging only 0.7 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Niagara Falls continue to outrun the ball?
Niagara Falls beat North Tonawanda 5-0 when the teams last played back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Wolverines since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
