The Ballston Spa Scotties will head out on the road to take on the Bethlehem Central Eagles at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Ballston Spa has eight straight victories, Bethlehem Central has four straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Ballston Spa is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of New York's top teams: Shaker, who was ranked second at the time (Ballston Spa was ranked third). The Scotties won by a run and slipped past the Bison 3-2. That's two games straight that the Scotties have won by just one run.
Jameson Hotaling
| 04/23/25 vs Shaker | 2 |
| 04/14/25 @ Saratoga Springs | 1 |
| 04/09/25 vs Christian Brothers Academy | 1 |
Jameson Hotaling tossed a big game, striking out nine batters over six innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Kai Graybeal, who went 1-for-4 with one home run and three RBI. That home run marked the first that he has launched this season. Doug Chamberlain was another key player, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with one double.
Meanwhile, Bethlehem Central lost 13-3 to Colonie Central on Wednesday.
Bethlehem Central saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Sean Matrose, who went 3-for-4 with one RBI.
Ballston Spa's win was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-0. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Bethlehem Central, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Ballston Spa has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Bethlehem Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Ballston Spa came up short against Bethlehem Central when the teams last played back in May of 2024, falling 4-0. Can the Scotties avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
