The Goshen Central Gladiators will head out on the road to face off against the Valley Central Vikings at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.
Things were looking good for Goshen Central after they put the first run on the board on Monday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They took a 7-3 hit to the loss column at the hands of Kingston. The Gladiators have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Stephen Kovacs
| 04/28/26 vs Monticello | 4 |
| 04/10/26 @ Newburgh Free Academy | 4 |
| 04/13/26 @ Monticello | 3 |
| 05/18/26 vs Kingston | 2 |
| 05/12/26 @ Washingtonville | 2 |
| + 2 more games |
Stephen Kovacs made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. He is becoming a predictor of Goshen Central's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 4-2 (and 4-8 when he doesn't).
Meanwhile, Valley Central fell victim to Roosevelt and their airtight pitching crew on Monday. They fell just short of the Presidents by a score of 2-0. Having soared to a lofty ten runs in the game before, the Vikings' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Valley Central also got a good showing from Conor Kelly, who struck out nine batters over four innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits.
On the hitting side, Valley Central saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kellen Pliler, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base.
Goshen Central's record is now 8-10. As for Valley Central, their record now sits at 7-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Goshen Central has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Valley Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Goshen Central got the 'W' in their previous meeting back in April against Valley Central by a conclusive 7-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Gladiators since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
