Baseball Game Preview: Fort Thomas Apaches vs. Valley Union Blue Devils

Fort Thomas hasn't had much luck against Valley Union recently, but that could start to change on Monday. Fort Thomas will be playing at home against Valley Union at 4:00 p.m. Fort Thomas is coming into the contest hot, having won their last three games.

Fort Thomas will bounce into Monday's match after beating Baboquivari, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. Fort Thomas came out on top against Baboquivari by a score of 9-5 on Thursday. The game was the first time the Apaches have beaten the Warriors on their field since March 2, 2017.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Valley Union). Everything went their way against Patagonia on Wednesday as Valley Union made off with a 16-1 victory. The win continues a trend for the Blue Devils in their matchups with the Lobos: they've now won eight in a row.

Steven Delacruz and Dylan Mitchell made a splash while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Delacruz pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Mitchell struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Delacruz has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks any time he's pitched this season. At bat, Delacruz scored two runs while going 2-for-3, while Mitchell went a perfect 4-for-4 with three stolen bases, five RBI, and three runs. Mitchell is becoming a predictor of Valley Union's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is undefeated (and 1-2 when he doesn't).

In other batting news, Miles Richardson was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing four bases while going 2-for-2. Those four stolen bases gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Moroney Flores, who scored three runs while going 1-for-3.

Valley Union always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .655. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

Valley Union's victory bumped their record up to 4-2. As for Fort Thomas, their win bumped their record up to an identical 4-2.

Fort Thomas might still be hurting after the 22-3 defeat they got from Valley Union when the teams last played back in April of 2022. Can Fort Thomas avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.