River Valley had lost six straight at home dating back to last season, but on Thursday they dropped down to 2-8 to make it seven. They fell just short of the Portage Mustangs by a score of 6-5. If the Panthers were looking for revenge after losing 7-5 to the Mustangs when the teams met back in April of 2025, then they'll just have to keep looking.
Eric Dinger was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. He pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Furthermore, he didn't allow a single earned run, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in April of 2025. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base.
In other batting news, Michael Wano made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with three RBI and one run.
As for Portage, the win got them back to even at 5-5. Six seems to be a good number for them as the team scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
On Portage's side, Conner Sciko spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered four earned (and one unearned) runs on eight hits and racked up six Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Owen Slanoc, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBI. He has become a key player for Portage: the team is 3-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 2-4 otherwise. Dom Berardinelli was another key player, going 1-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Looking ahead, River Valley will head out to face off against Kiski School at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. The Cougars have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 7.4 runs per game on average), something the Panthers will no doubt try to take advantage of. As for Portage, they will welcome Conemaugh Valley at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
