The Eastern Lebanon County Raiders will square off against the Garden Spot Spartans at 4:15 p.m. on Monday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Eastern Lebanon County is headed into the contest having just posted their closest victory since April 15, 2024 on Friday. They skirted past Conestoga Valley 9-8.
John Stauffer looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Gavin Bicher, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March. Braden Gettle was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two RBI and one run.
Eastern Lebanon County always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .514. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Garden Spot got the win against Warwick on Friday by a conclusive 12-4. The result was nothing new for the Spartans, who have now won six matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Ryder Hertzler made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out 13 batters over 6.2 innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits (and only one walk). Hertzler was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one run and one double.
In other batting news, Brody Torrance was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Zander Clymer, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI.
The win made it two in a row for Garden Spot and bumps their season record up to 8-9. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. As for Eastern Lebanon County, their win bumped their record up to 10-7.
Everything went Eastern Lebanon County's way against Garden Spot in their previous meeting on April 9th, as Eastern Lebanon County made off with a 9-1 victory. Will the Raiders repeat their success, or do the Spartans have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
