The Ardrey Kell Knights will head out on the road to square off against the Porter Ridge Pirates at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Ardrey Kell has three straight wins, Porter Ridge has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Tuesday, Ardrey Kell made easy work of Palisades and carried off a 13-2 victory. Considering the Knights have won five games by more than nine runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Jenna Volturno made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over four innings pitched. Volturno was also big at the plate, going a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run and two RBI.
In other batting news, Reagan Martin and Reilly Cusimano did most of the damage at the plate: Martin scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while Cusimano went 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. That home run marked the first that Cusimano launched this season. Bethany Mitra was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
Ardrey Kell lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. That's the most home runs they've posted since back in April of 2024.
Meanwhile, Porter Ridge fell victim to Cuthbertson and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They took a 3-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Cavaliers. The matchup marked the first time this season in which the Pirates were not able to get on the board.
Porter Ridge saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Harleigh Hopkins, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base.
Ardrey Kell pushed their record up to 7-5 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.3 runs over those games. As for Porter Ridge, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-7.
Porter Ridge's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Ardrey Kell has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.2 hits per game. It's a different story for Porter Ridge, though, as they've been averaging 8.8 hits. Given Ardrey Kell's sizable advantage in that area, Porter Ridge will need to find a way to close that gap.
Ardrey Kell suffered a grim 6-0 defeat to Porter Ridge in their previous matchup back in March of 2024. Can Ardrey Kell avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
