The Bagdad Sultans will face off against the Valley Union Blue Devils at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with Bagdad sitting on seven straight victories and Valley Union on three.
Bagdad is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They walked away with a 6-3 win over Williams.
Rowdy Hooper was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in eight consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
In other batting news, Aaron Landers was excellent, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with three runs. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April.
Meanwhile, Valley Union hadn't done well against Superior recently (they were 0-5 in their previous five matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Saturday. The Blue Devils put the hurt on the Panthers with a sharp 9-3 victory. The Blue Devils not only won on Saturday, but they posted their biggest win since April 8th (when they won 10-1).
Like Bagdad, Valley Union also got a great game from a two-way player: Dylan Mitchell. On the mound, he struck out ten batters over seven innings while giving up three earned runs off four hits (and only one walk). Mitchell was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with three RBI and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Yahir Luna, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Bagdad's win was their tenth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 22-4. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.6 runs over those games. As for Valley Union, their win bumped their record up to 11-5.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Bagdad has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Valley Union struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Bagdad beat Valley Union 4-0 when the teams last played back in May of 2018. Will the Sultans repeat their success, or do the Blue Devils have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
