The Valwood Valiants will square off against the Pinewood Christian Patriots at 3:00 p.m. on Friday. Valwood is coming into the match hot, having won their last five games.
Valwood is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They walked away with an 11-6 victory over Lakeview Academy.
Colson Smith made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off six hits. Smith was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with two runs.
In other pitching news, Camden Crump and Wesley Blanchard dominated on the mound. Crump pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit, while Blanchard tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Crump has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk in 12 consecutive appearances.
Maddox Coile
| 05/09/25 @ Lakeview Academy | 4 |
| 05/09/25 vs Lakeview Academy | 1 |
| 04/29/25 @ Fullington Academy | 4 |
| 04/25/25 vs Deerfield-Windsor | 1 |
| 04/24/25 vs Grace Christian Academy | 3 |
| + 6 more games |
Back at the plate, Valwood got a massive performance out of Maddox Coile, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with four stolen bases and two runs. Coile is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last 11 games he's played. Dywan Powell was another key player, going 1-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Thursday just wasn't the day for Pinewood Christian's offense. They wound up with the same score they had in their last game (1-0), but sadly the team found themselves on the wrong side of the score this time.
Pinewood Christian has also been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 16-8 record this season. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for Valwood, their record now sits at 17-7.
Valwood beat Pinewood Christian 12-7 in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Will the Valiants repeat their success, or do the Patriots have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
