The Shenendehowa Plainsmen will face off against the Ballston Spa Scotties at 4:15 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Ballston Spa will face off against a team with plenty of momentum: Shenendehowa extended their winning streak to four on Wednesday. The Plainsmen never let Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake get on the board and left with a 12-0 victory. The Plainsmen's hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Maximus Palermo
| 05/07/25 @ Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake | 0 |
| 04/25/25 vs Columbia | 1 |
| 04/19/25 @ Guilderland | 1 |
Shenendehowa got a great performance from Maximus Palermo as he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched. Palermo has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Aiden Thielke was a standout: he went 2-for-5 with three runs and three RBI. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Maxwell Jones, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last matchup, Ballston Spa made sure to put some runs up on the board against Guilderland on Thursday. The Scotties were the clear victors by a 19-5 margin over the Flying Dutchmen. With that win, the Scotties brought their scoring average up to 6.4 runs per game.
Kyle Fives looked comfortable as he tossed four innings while giving up just two earned runs off one hit.
At the plate, Ballston Spa let Nate Hill and James Haughton run wild. Hill went a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base, while Haughton got on base in three of his six plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Nick Commisso also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Ballston Spa kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Guilderland only managed six hits.
The victory was the third in a row for Ballston Spa, bringing their record up to 11-2. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.3 runs over those games. As for Shenendehowa, their victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Shenendehowa has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Ballston Spa struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Shenendehowa's way against Ballston Spa in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, as Shenendehowa made off with a 12-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Plainsmen since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
