The Goshen Central Gladiators will challenge the Minisink Valley Warriors at 4:15 p.m. on Monday. Goshen Central is coming into the contest on a three-game losing streak.
On Friday, Goshen Central didn't have quite enough to beat Warwick and fell 2-1. The game marked the Gladiators' lowest-scoring match so far this season.
Goshen Central saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was F Mitterbauer, who went 1-for-4 with one double and one RBI.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Minisink Valley). They blew past Monticello 18-1 on Friday. With that victory, the Warriors brought their scoring average up to 6.9 runs per game.
Nicholas Parco looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out seven over four innings pitched. He also tossed no walks, which is notable because Minisink Valley is 2-1 when he allows at most two walks, but 1-4 otherwise.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Liam Barry, who went 3-for-4 with five RBI, one run, and one double. Another player making a difference was Gavin Brown, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Minisink Valley was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .414. They are 2-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Goshen Central's defeat dropped their record down to 4-3. As for Minisink Valley, their win bumped their record up to 3-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Goshen Central has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Minisink Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Goshen Central's way against Minisink Valley in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, as Goshen Central made off with a 10-0 victory. Will the Gladiators repeat their success, or do the Warriors have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
