The Freedom Patriots will head out to take on the Northampton Konkrete Kids at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Freedom will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each game than the last.
Freedom is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victors by a 34-0 margin over East Stroudsburg North on Thursday. With that victory, the Patriots brought their scoring average up to 8.8 runs per game.
The team relied heavily on Santiago Rodriguez, who went 4-for-5 with one home run, seven RBI, and four runs. Those seven RBI gave him a new career-high. Colin Andrews was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base.
Freedom hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least four batters in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Northampton posted their closest win since May 1, 2024 on Thursday. They had just enough and edged out Nazareth Area 5-4. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Konkrete Kids as it put an end to their four-game losing streak.
Northampton's win was truly a team effort as six different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Tommy Hensel, who scored a run while going 3-for-4.
Freedom pushed their record up to 7-2 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.7 runs over those games. As for Northampton, the victory got them back to even at 5-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Freedom has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Northampton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Freedom came up short against Northampton in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, falling 6-3. Can the Patriots avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
