The Atlantic City Vikings will challenge the Oakcrest Falcons at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Atlantic City is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victors by a 19-2 margin over Bridgeton on Wednesday. The Vikings haven't had any issues with the Bulldogs recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Kayla Barrie was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over four innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while getting on base in two of her five plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Nelly Sosa, who got on base in all five of her plate appearances with one home run, four runs, and two stolen bases. Jojo Mejia also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Meanwhile, Oakcrest got themselves on the board against Pleasantville on Wednesday, but Pleasantville never followed suit. They blew past the Greyhounds 27-0. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Falcons.
Like Atlantic City, Oakcrest also got a great game from a two-way player: Dakota Miranda. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out eight over four innings pitched. Miranda was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with four RBI and one double.
In other batting news, Trinity Brown and Emilee Richards did most of the damage at the plate: Brown scored five runs and stole three bases while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances, while Richards went 3-for-4 with one home run, four runs, and four RBI. That's the most hits Richards has posted since back in May of 2024. Chrystal Williams was another key player, getting on base in four of her five plate appearances with four runs and one triple.
Oakcrest always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .698. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Atlantic City's win was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-1. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average this season. As for Oakcrest, their record now sits at 6-2.
Atlantic City might still be hurting after the 11-5 defeat they got from Oakcrest in their previous meeting last Wednesday. Can the Vikings avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
