Baseball Recap: Three Straight Home Victories for Middlesex

Chargers

Margin (Wins)

04/17/25 vs Charles City	18
04/16/25 vs West Point	17
03/29/25 vs Nandua	15
04/08/25 @ Colonial Beach	11

Middlesex won against West Point on Wednesday with 18 runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Thursday. The Chargers' pitchers stepped up to hand the Charles City Panthers an 18-0 shutout. The Chargers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four matchups by 11 runs or more this season.

Nathan Rutkowski and Thomas Foster made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Rutkowski struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). Meanwhile, Foster struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and not a single walk). Rutkowski has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances. At the plate, Rutkowski got on base in two of his five plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base, while Foster got on base in two of his four plate appearances with two runs and one RBI. Rutkowski has become a key player for Middlesex: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 0-5 otherwise.

In other batting news, Bryson Bulgin was a standout: he went 2-for-4 with three runs, two RBI, and one double. He is becoming a predictor of Middlesex's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 4-1 (and 0-4 when he doesn't). Luke McMurtrie was another key player, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.

Middlesex always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .595. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.

Middlesex's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 4-5. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 17.3 runs over those games. As for Charles City, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-6.

We've got plenty of inter-region action coming up soon. Middlesex is set to square off against their familiar foe King William at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Charles City will take on rival Mathews at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday.