The East Nicolaus Spartans are taking a road trip to take on the River Valley Falcons at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. East Nicolaus is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.5 runs per game this season.
East Nicolaus fought the good fight in their extra-innings matchup against Inderkum on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Tigers by a score of 5-4. That's two games in a row now that the Spartans have lost by just one run.
Stevie Knight was huge no matter where she played even without the win. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 14 batters over nine innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off eight hits (and only one walk). She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with one double and one RBI.
In other batting news, Lela DeCecco and Makinze Massey stepped up to the plate in a big way. DeCecco scored two runs while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances, while Massey scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-4.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask River Valley). Everything went their way against Nevada Union on Thursday as they made off with a 14-5 win. The victory continues a trend for the Falcons in their matchups with the Miners: they've now won three in a row.
Apple Ward spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five earned runs on nine hits and racked up 11 Ks.
At the plate, River Valley got a massive performance out of Kaitlyn Garcia, who scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of her five plate appearances. That's the most runs Garcia has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Ainsley Holley, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
River Valley pushed their record up to 11-8 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for East Nicolaus, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 10-3.
East Nicolaus' speedy runners might be the difference in Friday's contest. The Spartans have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.9 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for River Valley, though, as they've been averaging only 1.4 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will East Nicolaus continue to outrun the ball?
East Nicolaus beat River Valley 4-1 when the teams last played back in March of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Spartans since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
