Baseball Preview: Valley Falls Dragons vs. Onaga Buffaloes
Valley Falls is 0-3 against Onaga since May of 2023 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Valley Falls Dragons will be playing in front of their home fans against the Onaga Buffaloes at 4:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Onaga is hoping to do on Thursday what Pleasant Ridge couldn't on Monday: put an end to Valley Falls' winning streak, which now stands at three games. Valley Falls was the clear victor by an 11-4 margin over Pleasant Ridge.
Collin Kearney made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over seven innings while giving up four earned runs off three hits. Kearney was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Valley Falls got a massive performance out of Damian Cervantez, who scored a run while going 4-for-4. Grant Meyer was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Onaga came tearing into Monday's contest with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 11.8 runs) and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Crusaders 9-2.
Like Valley Falls, Onaga also got a great game from a two-way player: Jackson Kolterman. He didn't allow a single earned run and only two hits while striking out six over four innings pitched. Kolterman has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive pitching appearances. Kolterman was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with four RBI, a triple, and a double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Xavier Berges, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Casen Hutfles, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and a double.
Valley Falls' victory bumped their record up to 13-2. As for Onaga, their win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-3.
Thursday's matchup will be a test for both team's pitchers. Valley Falls hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .397. However, it's not like Onaga struggles in that department as they've averaged .338. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Valley Falls came up short against Onaga in their previous meeting back in May of 2023, falling 8-5. Will Valley Falls have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
