Vanlue is on a 12-game streak of home losses dating back to last season, and Ridgedale a six-game streak of away losses also dating back to last season. However, someone's due for a change in luck on Saturday. The Vanlue Wildcats will look to defend their home field against the Ridgedale Rockets at 11:00 a.m. Vanlue has given up an average of 13.4 runs per game this season, but Saturday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Vanlue fell victim to Arcadia and their airtight pitching crew on Wednesday. They came up short against the Redskins, falling 12-0.
Toby Reed was cooking despite his team's loss, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with four stolen bases, one run, and one double.
Meanwhile, Ridgedale fought the good fight in their extra-innings contest against Perry on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Commodores by a score of 7-6. That's two games in a row now that the Rockets have lost by just one run.
Brody Mawer put in work while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching 3.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. Mawer was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two RBI.
In other batting news, Kolin Neville made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with five stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Ayden Salyer was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Vanlue's loss dropped their record down to 0-16. As for Ridgedale, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-8.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Vanlue has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Ridgedale struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4.6 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Vanlue might still be hurting after the 25-1 loss they got from Ridgedale when the teams last played back in March of 2018. Can the Wildcats avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
