Wilkes-Barre is 2-8 against Wyoming Valley West since May of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Wolfpack will be playing in front of their home fans against the Spartans at 4:30 p.m. Wilkes-Barre's pitching crew has only allowed 3.7 runs per game this season, so Wyoming Valley West's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Dallas hit Wilkes-Barre with a six-run sixth inning on Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Wolfpack fell 9-5 to the Mountaineers. The Wolfpack have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Alex Hufford made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Jake Howe was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Wyoming Valley West was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their fifth straight defeat. They were two runs away from ending the streak, but they lost an 8-6 heartbreaker at the hands of Berwick. That's two games in a row now that the Spartans have lost by exactly two runs.
Wyoming Valley West also got a good showing from Jacob Fine, who tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off four hits.
At the plate, D'Vonte Rivers was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-4 with one home run and three RBI. That home run was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was John Richards, who went 1-for-2 with three stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.
Wyoming Valley West's loss dropped their record down to 6-8. As for Wilkes-Barre, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Wilkes-Barre has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Wyoming Valley West struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Wilkes-Barre beat Wyoming Valley West 4-1 in their previous meeting last Tuesday. Do the Wolfpack have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Spartans turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
