vs
| 05/07/24 - Home | 4-0 W |
| 04/09/24 - Away | 4-0 W |
| 04/27/23 - Away | 2-1 W |
| 03/30/23 - Home | 7-5 W |
| 05/07/19 - Away | 10-11 L |
| + 5 more games |
West Branch is 9-1 against Juniata Valley since April of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Tuesday. The Warriors will challenge the Hornets at 4:30 p.m. After the two teams made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Tuesday.
Juniata Valley will face off against a team with plenty of momentum: West Branch extended their winning streak to six on Monday. The Warriors never let Moshannon Valley get on the board and left with a 7-0 win. The Warriors' pitching crew has been rock solid lately; the team hasn't given up a run in their last four games.
Makena Moore made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 15 over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up a single earned run in seven consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one RBI.
In other batting news, Lindsey Bainey was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. That home run marked the first that she launched this season. Layla Thompson was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one home run and two runs.
Meanwhile, Juniata Valley got the win against Williamsburg on Monday by a conclusive 10-0. The Hornets haven't had any issues with the Blue Pirates recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive victory against them.
Like West Branch, Juniata Valley also got a great game from a two-way player: Braelyn Hall. She looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out ten over 4.1 innings pitched. Hall was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kassidy Watson, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Kelsey Ersek, who scored two runs while going 1-for-2.
Juniata Valley always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .533. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
West Branch pushed their record up to 7-1 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.0 runs on average over those games. As for Juniata Valley, their record is now 5-1-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. West Branch has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 13.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Juniata Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
West Branch beat Juniata Valley 4-0 in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Warriors since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
