The South Allegheny Gladiators are taking a road trip to square off against the Steel Valley Ironmen at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. South Allegheny will be strutting in after a win while Steel Valley will be coming in after a loss.
South Allegheny took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past South Park 1-0. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Gladiators have posted since March 27th.
Hunter Fulmer
| 04/07/25 vs Avonworth | 5 |
| 03/18/25 vs Putnam Science Academy | 2 |
Not much got past Hunter Fulmer, who gave up just four hits and racked up seven Ks to keep South Park off the board. Fulmer also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because South Allegheny is 2-1 when he allows at most two earned runs, but 3-6 otherwise.
At the plate, South Allegheny's victory was truly a team effort as three different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Josh Nesky, who went 1-for-3 with one RBI.
Shady Side Academy hit Steel Valley with a four-run sixth inning on Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Ironmen fell just short of the Bulldogs by a score of 6-5. The Ironmen have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Logan Thomas was cooking despite his team's loss, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one double. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played. Another player making a difference was Elijah Brugos, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one RBI.
South Allegheny has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 5-7 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.5 runs over those games. As for Steel Valley, they now have a losing record of 7-8.
South Allegheny took their victory against Steel Valley when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 15-3 score. Do the Gladiators have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Ironmen turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
