Princeton has gone a perfect 8-0 against Beddingfield recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. Princeton will head out to challenge Beddingfield at 6:30 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Princeton's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Spring Creek with a sharp 19-0 victory. Considering the Bulldogs have won three games by more than nine runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Evan Pate
| 03/25/25 vs Spring Creek | 5 |
| 03/14/25 @ Rosewood | 3 |
| 04/09/24 vs Spring Creek | 3 |
| 04/25/24 @ Spring Creek | 1 |
| 03/14/24 @ C.B. Aycock | 1 |
Evan Pate and Caygen Gurley made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Pate pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Gurley tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. The dominant performance also gave Pate a new career-high in strikeouts (five). At the plate, Pate went 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI, while Gurley scored two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. That home run was Pate's first of the season.
In other batting news, Cade Gurley and Aston Massey did most of the damage at the plate: Gurley scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3, while Massey scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2. Andrew Allnutt was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-2.
Princeton always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .649. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Spring Creek only posted an OBP of .238.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Beddingfield). They were the clear victors by a 15-4 margin over Eastern Wayne on Tuesday. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Bruins' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Justin Kirby was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Kirby was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Trent Jones, who scored three runs and stole three bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Charles Anderson, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances.
The win made it two in a row for Princeton and bumps their season record up to 6-3. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 1 runs in those games. As for Beddingfield, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-7.
Beddingfield's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Princeton hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .323. It's a different story for Beddingfield, though, as they've only averaged .221. Will they be able to contain Princeton's hitters?
Princeton took their victory against Beddingfield in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 11-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for Princeton since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
