The Neptune Scarlet Fliers will face off against the Lakewood Piners at 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday.
Things were looking good for Neptune after they put the first run on the board on Tuesday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They fell just short of Freehold Boro by a score of 3-2. The Scarlet Fliers haven't had much luck with the Colonials recently, as the team has come up short the last three times they've met.
Hunter Morgan put in work no matter where he played. He pitched seven innings while giving up three earned runs off three hits. Those three hits allowed gave him a new career-low. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in all five of his plate appearances with one home run.
Morgan wasn't the only one making solid contact as seven players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Nick Bailey, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with one RBI.
Meanwhile, Lakewood made easy work of Asbury Park on Friday and carried off an 18-5 victory. With that win, the Piners brought their scoring average up to 6.1 runs per game.
Like Neptune, Lakewood also got a great game from a two-way player: Abel Martinez. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Martinez has become a key player for Lakewood: the team is 2-1 when he allows at most three hits, but 4-7 otherwise. Martinez was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases and four runs. Those four runs gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Cris Rosario was incredible, going 2-for-3 with six RBI, three runs, and one double. Lakewood is undefeated when Rosario posts three or more RBI, but 2-8 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Avani Crudup, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI.
Neptune's defeat dropped their record down to 2-11. As for Lakewood, their victory ended an 11-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 6-8.
Neptune beat Lakewood 6-3 when the teams last played back in May of 2017. Will the Scarlet Fliers repeat their success, or do the Piners have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
