The Central Dauphin Rams are taking a road trip to square off against the Wilson Bulldogs at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Central Dauphin is coming into the match on a three-game losing streak.
On Thursday, Central Dauphin didn't have quite enough to beat Mifflin County and fell 6-5.
Central Dauphin saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Richie Mazzatesta, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI. Another was Brady Smith, who went 1-for-3 with two runs.
Meanwhile, Wilson's hitters rose to the challenge against a Trojans pitching crew that boasted an average of only 2.4 runs allowed on Thursday. The Bulldogs were the clear victors by an 11-5 margin over Parkland. Considering the Bulldogs have won four games by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Jack Gabel was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up a single earned run in five consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
In other pitching news, Kaden Ballas looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Tim Lengle, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and one stolen base. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Nick Herron, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and one RBI.
Wilson was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive contests.
Wilson's victory was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-3. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.6 runs over those games. As for Central Dauphin, their loss dropped their record down to 2-5.
Everything went Central Dauphin's way against Wilson in their previous meeting back in April of 2023, as Central Dauphin made off with a 12-2 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Rams since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
