James Buchanan is preparing for their first conference matchup of the season on Monday. They will be playing in front of their home fans against the Northern York Polar Bears at 4:15 p.m. Both teams are still undefeated (James Buchanan has four wins dating back to last season, while Northern York has three).
Last Tuesday, everything went James Buchanan's way against Fairfield as James Buchanan made off with a 16-1 win. Fans of the Rockets have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 6+ runs.
Lilianna Wiley
| 03/18/25 vs Fairfield | 9 |
| 03/13/25 @ Clear Spring | 6 |
| 03/11/25 vs McConnellsburg | 6 |
| 04/15/24 @ Waynesboro | 8 |
| 04/10/24 vs Boiling Springs | 5 |
| + 3 more games |
Lilianna Wiley made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out nine over four innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in March of 2024. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Emileigh Linn, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Madisyn Amsley, who scored a run and stole Two bases. while going 3-for-3.
James Buchanan kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 11 hits every time they've taken the field this season.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last match, Northern York made sure to put some runs up on the board against Berks Catholic on Thursday. Northern York was the clear victors by a 10-1 margin over Berks Catholic.
Makenzie Smith was a standout: she scored two runs and stole Three bases. while going 1-for-3. Trinity Artman was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one home run and three RBI.
Northern York's victory was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 3-0. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for James Buchanan, their win bumped their record up to 3-0.
Northern York's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: James Buchanan has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .667. It's a different story for Northern York, though, as they've only averaged .343. Will they be able to contain James Buchanan's hitters?
James Buchanan couldn't quite get it done against Northern York in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 as they fell 6-1. Can James Buchanan avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
