Baseball Game Preview: Highland Rams vs. Tygarts Valley Bulldogs

The Highland Rams will take on the Tygarts Valley Bulldogs at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.

On Saturday, Highland didn't have quite enough to beat Narrows and fell 10-9. The loss continues a trend for the Rams in their meetings with the Green Waves: they've now lost five in a row.

John Wagner made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. What's more, he posted three RBI, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Elijah Good, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.

Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, Tygarts Valley's good fortune finally ran out on Saturday. They fell just short of Shady Spring by a score of 4-3.

Jaxon Drennen was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 15 batters over 5.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI.

Drennen wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Kendall Armstrong, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.

Highland now has a losing record of 2-3. As for Tygarts Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-2.

Highland might still be hurting after the 10-2 loss they got from Tygarts Valley in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can Highland avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.