The Rome Free Academy Black Knights are taking a road trip to square off against the Fayetteville-Manlius Hornets at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Rome Free Academy's pitching crew has only allowed 3.7 runs per game this season, so Fayetteville-Manlius' hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Rome Free Academy is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering New Hartford just ended the team's five-game winning streak on Thursday. They fell just short of the Spartans by a score of 6-5.
Rome Free Academy saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Makayla Howard, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base. Alexa Thompson was another, going 1-for-3 with two runs.
Meanwhile, Fayetteville-Manlius hadn't done well against Baldwinsville recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. The Hornets had just enough and edged out the Bees 6-5. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Hornets have posted against the Bees since May 17, 2019.
Rome Free Academy's loss was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 5-1 and their overall record down to 6-3. As for Fayetteville-Manlius, their win was their first in the league, bumping their league record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 7-4.
Friday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Rome Free Academy has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .461. However, it's not like Fayetteville-Manlius struggles in that department as they've averaged .475. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Rome Free Academy skirted past Fayetteville-Manlius 4-2 when the teams last played back in April. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Black Knights since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
