Baseball Preview: Blue River Valley Vikings vs. Northeastern Knights
Blue River Valley is 0-5 against Northeastern since April of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Blue River Valley Vikings will be staying on the road to face off against the Northeastern Knights at 5:00 p.m. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Blue River Valley will bounce into Friday's matchup after beating Monroe Central, who they hadn't topped in eight consecutive meetings. Blue River Valley sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 7-6 win over Monroe Central on Thursday.
Gunnar Hannis was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over six innings while giving up five earned (and one unearned) runs off seven hits. Hannis has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in four consecutive pitching appearances. Hannis was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Kye Golliher was incredible, going 4-for-4 with four RBI.
Meanwhile, Northeastern had to endure a three-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. Everything went their way against Tri on Wednesday as Northeastern made off with a 10-2 victory. Considering Northeastern's hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Matt Truitt looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits.
On the hitting side, Northeastern let Riley Isaacs and Blake Waters loose on the outfield. Isaacs scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances, while Waters scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Logan Seal, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-3.
Blue River Valley's record now sits at 6-9. As for Northeastern, their record now sits at 9-5.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Blue River Valley has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Northeastern struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.8. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Blue River Valley suffered a grim 14-5 defeat to Northeastern in their previous meeting back in May of 2023. Can Blue River Valley avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
