Baseball Game Preview: Harmony Area Owls vs. West Branch Warriors

Harmony Area is 0-9 against West Branch since May of 2017 but things could change on Wednesday. Harmony Area will head out to take on West Branch at 4:30 p.m. Harmony Area will be strutting in after a victory while West Branch will be coming in after a defeat.

Harmony Area is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They walked away with a 7-3 win over Shanksville Stonycreek on Thursday.

Parker Maseto

Runs (Career)

03/27/25 @ Shanksville Stonycreek	3
05/15/24 vs Curwensville	1
04/29/24 @ West Branch	1
04/18/24 vs Moshannon Valley	1
03/25/24 vs West Branch	1

The team relied heavily on Parker Maseto, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. Jace Nihart was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.

Maseto wasn't the only one working in the hit department: Harmony Area kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Shanksville Stonycreek only managed five hits.

Meanwhile, Saturday just wasn't the day for West Branch's offense. They lost 11-0 to Lakeview on Saturday. Having soared to a lofty 17 runs in the game before, the Warriors' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.

West Branch saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Porter Ryan, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base. Ryan is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: he's snagged at least one every time he's taken the field this season.

West Branch's loss dropped their record down to 2-2. As for Harmony Area, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-4.

Wednesday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Harmony Area has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .433. However, it's not like West Branch struggles in that department as they've averaged .460. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.

Harmony Area might still be hurting after the 22-1 defeat they got from West Branch in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can Harmony Area avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.