The Grand Island Vikings will challenge the Niagara Falls Wolverines at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
Grand Island fought the good fight in their extra-innings game against Sweet Home on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Panthers by a score of 7-6. Vikings fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team's lost against the Panthers since on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Niagara Falls entered their tilt with Lockport on Wednesday with four consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with five. They never let the Lions get on the board and left with a 17-0 victory. The Wolverines might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matches by six runs or more this season.
Matthew Brydges and Trevor Meidenbauer made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Brydges tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Meidenbauer didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over four innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in May of 2024. At bat, Brydges went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double, while Meidenbauer went 1-for-2 with three RBI and one double.
In other pitching news, Andrew Brydges looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, Anthony Littere was incredible, getting on base in five of his six plate appearances with two triples, three runs, and four RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in May of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Dominic Puleo, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Niagara Falls' win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-1. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for Grand Island, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-3.
Grand Island came out on top in a nail-biter against Niagara Falls when the teams last played back in April, sneaking past 5-4. Will the Vikings repeat their success, or do the Wolverines have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.