The Pine Grove Cardinals will face off against the Bald Eagle Area Eagles at 1:30 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Pine Grove comes in on 11 and Bald Eagle Area on 17.
Pine Grove is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Mid Valley a 3-0 shutout.
Not much got past Jamie Dinger, who gave up just two hits and racked up seven Ks to keep Mid Valley off the board.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Callee Leffler, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one double. Addison Zimmerman was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Meanwhile, Bald Eagle Area faced Susquenita in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Monday. The Eagles walked away with a 5-0 victory over the Blackhawks.
Not much got past Sierra Albright, who gave up just a hit and racked up 12 Ks to keep Susquenita off the board. Albright has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts any time she's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Kailey Eckert was excellent, going 2-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, and one RBI. That's the most doubles she has posted since back in May. Another player making a difference was Addisyn Burns, who went 1-for-3 with one home run.
Pine Grove pushed their record up to 26-2 with the win, which was their eighth straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.5 runs over those games. As for Bald Eagle Area, their win bumped their record up to 22-3.
Pine Grove's speedy runners might be the difference in Friday's game. The Cardinals have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.8 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Bald Eagle Area, though, as they've been averaging only 1.3 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Pine Grove continue to outrun the ball?
Pine Grove was able to grind out a solid victory over Bald Eagle Area in their previous matchup back in June of 2019, winning 7-3. Do the Cardinals have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Eagles turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
