Baseball Game Preview: Valley Central Vikings vs. Monticello Panthers

The Valley Central Vikings will face off against the Monticello Panthers at 4:15 p.m. on Monday. The two teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with three consecutive losses for Valley Central and eight for Monticello.

The home team had won the previous four meetings between Valley Central and Warwick, and Warwick kept the tradition alive. The Vikings fell just short of the Wildcats by a score of 11-10 on Wednesday. Even if the Vikings couldn't come away with the victory, the high-scoring effort was a great turnaround for their hitters, which had struggled int the games prior.

Kellen Pliler and Justin Freeman did some serious damage despite the final result: Pliler got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base, while Freeman went 2-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. That stolen base was Pliler's first of the season. Nicholas Strobach was another key player, getting on base in two of his three plate appearances with two runs.

Meanwhile, Friday just wasn't the day for Monticello's offense. They came up short against Cornwall Central on Friday, falling 20-0.

Monticello's loss dropped their record down to 0-8. As for Valley Central, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-6.

Valley Central took their win against Monticello in their previous meeting back in April by a conclusive 10-0 score. Will the Vikings repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.