Games of the Week (April 6-11)

Rain, rain go away – at least by Tuesday.

It’s a rainy weekend on the West Shore, which means very little baseball is being played outside. Such is life in Pennsylvania at this time of the year. We can only hope that Mother Nature gets the wetness (and the biting cold) out of her system by Tuesday, the next big day for Mid-Penn division play. Here’s a look ahead at the week and the top games to check out.

Mechanicsburg at Hershey, Tuesday, 4 – After the events of Thursday, Mechanicsburg can put Hershey in a bit of a hole with a win at Memorial Field. The Trojans, a preseason division favorite, fell to Middletown in the division opener while Mechanicsburg downed Bishop McDevitt. A huge early game for both entries.

Camp Hill at Greencastle-Antrim, Tuesday, 4:15 – Here’s a clash between the two division favorites. Neither team has lost yet but the Blue Devils have that strange 8-8 suspended game with Shippensburg keeping them from being perfect, at least in our eyes. Playing good Class AAA teams is old hat for Camp Hill, which will send ace right-handed pitcher Matt Spiegel to the bump.

Northern at West Perry, Thursday, 4:15 – The Polar Bears should get back on track Tuesday at home against Big Spring but, even with a win against the Bulldogs, Northern can’t afford many more losses. A brutal early-season schedule put them on the wrong end of the Mendoza line and now they need to play their best to qualify for the district field. A trip to West Perry to play a Jeff Sanno-coached team is never an easy task. The Mustangs can bite anyone at anytime.

Susquenita at Shippensburg, Thursday, 4:15 – Susquenita is making a case for itself as a true division challenger after taking Waynesboro to extra innings before falling, 4-3. Shippensburg? Despite that nice win over Northern, we’re not convinced this team is built for the long haul. A week that has the Greyhounds at Mechanicsburg and at Waynesboro on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, will tell a lot. If Shippensburg gets through the week with two wins, we might start to believe.