The River Valley Vikings will venture away from home to face off against the Clear Fork Colts at 5:15 p.m. on Friday. River Valley will be looking to extend their current five-game winning streak.
River Valley had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 15-run drubbing they dealt East on Thursday. The Vikings' pitcher stepped up to hand the Tigers a 15-0 shutout.
Sidney Street made a splash no matter where she played. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in April of 2024. She was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one run, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Samantha Woods was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and two RBI. Olivia Collins also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.
River Valley always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .706. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Clear Fork made easy work of Upper Sandusky on Wednesday and carried off an 8-2 win. The Colts might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight contests by six runs or more this season.
Miley Shafer spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on six hits.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Hailly Thrush, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and one stolen base. The team also got some help courtesy of Jada Brokaw, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs.
River Valley's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-4. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Clear Fork, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-9 record this season.
Friday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. River Valley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .325. However, it's not like Clear Fork struggles in that department as they've averaged .313. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
River Valley couldn't quite get it done against Clear Fork when the teams last played back in May of 2024 as they fell 5-1. Can the Vikings avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
