The Annville-Cleona Dutchmen will challenge the Middletown Blue Raiders at 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Annville-Cleona's pitching crew has only allowed 4.1 runs per game this season, so Middletown's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Annville-Cleona took a loss when they played away from home on Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. They never let Tulpehocken get on the board and left with a 6-0 victory. The result was nothing new for the Dutchmen, who have now won seven games by six runs or more so far this season.
Colten Shaffer made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 14 over 5.1 innings pitched. Those 14 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Zac Frentz
| 05/12/25 vs Tulpehocken | 2 |
| 05/07/25 vs Northern Lebanon | 1 |
| 04/21/25 vs Columbia | 1 |
| 04/09/25 vs Lancaster Mennonite | 3 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Zac Frentz, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last matchup, Middletown made sure to put some runs up on the board against Lancaster Catholic on Monday. The Blue Raiders walked away with a 10-5 win over the Crusaders. Considering the Blue Raiders' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Mason Stiffler tossed a big game, tossing six innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits. He is becoming a predictor of Middletown's success: when he allows at most one earned run the team is undefeated (and 4-8 when he doesn't).
At the plate, J.P. Horetsky was excellent, going 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. He has become a key player for Middletown: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 7-8 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Jacob Miller, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
Annville-Cleona's victory bumped their record up to 11-9. As for Middletown, their win bumped their record up to 11-8.
Annville-Cleona skirted past Middletown 2-1 in their previous meeting back in April of 2022. Do the Dutchmen have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Blue Raiders turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
