The Elizabeth Minutemen are taking a road trip to take on the Dayton Bulldogs at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Elizabeth's pitching crew has only allowed 2.8 runs per game this season, so Dayton's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
On Tuesday, Elizabeth earned a 9-4 win over Brearley.
The team relied heavily on Albert Maldonado, who fired off two home runs and five RBI while going 3-for-4. Eliezer Cepeda also deserves some recognition as he launched his first home run of the season.
They weren't the only ones working in the home run department: Elizabeth lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. That's the most home runs they've posted since the start of last season.
Meanwhile, Dayton got the win against Plainfield on Wednesday by a conclusive 14-1. The victory continues a trend for the Bulldogs in their matchups with the Cardinals: they've now won five in a row.
Frank Dasti made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out seven over five innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Dayton is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 1-8 otherwise. Dasti was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in May of 2024.
In other batting news, Michael Ramirez and Niko Sieminski did most of the damage at the plate: Ramirez went 3-for-4 with three stolen bases, three RBI, and one run, while Sieminski got on base in two of his four plate appearances with three stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI. Those three runs gave Sieminski a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Mikey Corea, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and one run.
Dayton's record now sits at 4-8. As for Elizabeth, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-3 record this season.
Dayton's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Elizabeth hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .314. It's a different story for Dayton, though, as they've only averaged .212. Will they be able to contain Elizabeth's hitters?
Elizabeth skirted past Dayton 2-1 when the teams last played back in April. Will the Minutemen repeat their success, or do the Bulldogs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
