Mineral County hasn't had much luck against Smith Valley recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Serpents will welcome the Bulldogs at 12:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
14 must be Mineral County's lucky number: they beat Virginia City with that score not once but twice on Saturday. The Serpents never let the Muckers get on the board and left with a 14-0 win. The victory was familiar territory for the Serpents, who have now won six contests in a row.
Meanwhile, Smith Valley came tearing into Friday's match with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 16.2 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They were the clear victors by a 24-0 margin over the Railroaders.
Brody Lommori and Gaston Rodriguez made a splash no matter where they played. On the mound, Lommori pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Rodriguez tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. At bat, Lommori went a perfect 1-for-1 with two runs and one RBI, while Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and one stolen base. Rodriguez is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: he's snagged at least one every time he's taken the field this season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Wyatt Wulfing, who got on base in all five of his plate appearances with three runs, four RBI, and one triple. He is also on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last five games he's played. Luke Lannom was another key player, going 3-for-5 with three RBI, two runs, and two doubles.
Smith Valley always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .690. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .500 or higher in seven consecutive games.
Mineral County pushed their record up to 12-8 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Smith Valley, their win bumped their record up to 7-1.
Mineral County suffered a grim 17-1 defeat to Smith Valley in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Will the Serpents 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.
