Titusville and Oil City are an even 5-5 against one another since March of 2018, but likely not for long. The Rockets will challenge the Oilers at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Titusville will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
Titusville barely beat Grove City the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Rockets put the hurt on the Eagles with a sharp 8-1 victory on Friday. The result was nothing new for the Rockets, who have now won six matchups by seven runs or more so far this season.
Jaxon Covell made a splash no matter where he played. He tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one hit in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with four stolen bases and one run.
Jackson Oviatt
| 05/09/25 vs Grove City | 3 |
| 04/24/25 vs Sharon | 2 |
| 03/28/25 @ Eisenhower | 2 |
| 05/01/25 vs Hickory | 1 |
| 04/11/25 @ Franklin | 1 |
Covell wasn't the only one making solid contact as six players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Jackson Oviatt, who went 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI. Those three hits gave Oviatt a new career-high. Ian McDonald was another, going 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Titusville hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least four batters in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Oil City). They had just enough and edged out Slippery Rock 9-7.
Like Titusville, Oil City also got a great game from a two-way player: Casey Rybak. On the mound, Rybak tossed two innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off two hits. Meanwhile, Will McMahon struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. At bat, Rybak got on base in four of his five plate appearances with one run, while McMahon went 2-for-5 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. That double marked the first that McMahon has hit this season.
In other batting news, Carter Bialo was excellent, going 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBI. Taheton Tarr also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
Titusville pushed their record up to 14-2 with the win, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Oil City, their record now sits at 5-10.
Oil City's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Titusville hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .365. It's a different story for Oil City, though, as they've only averaged .191. Will they be able to contain Titusville's hitters?
Titusville was able to grind out a solid victory over Oil City when the teams last played back in April, winning 6-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Rockets since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
