The Tri-Valley Vikings will venture away from home to square off against the Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Falcons at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Tri-Valley's pitching crew has only allowed 3.6 runs per game this season, so Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
On Wednesday, Tri-Valley didn't have quite enough to beat Fieldcrest and fell 2-1. The game marked the Vikings' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
Tri-Valley saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Cole Klein, who went 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley posted their closest victory since May 9, 2024 on Wednesday. They had just enough and edged out Lexington 5-3. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Falcons.
Graydon Leonard made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out six batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off six hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double.
In other batting news, David Hull was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley is 4-1 when Hull posts two or more runs, but 1-2 otherwise. Brayden Bradbury also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley's record now sits at 5-3. As for Tri-Valley, their defeat was their first of the season and makes their record 6-1-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Tri-Valley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Tri-Valley couldn't quite finish off Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley when the teams last played back in May of 2024 and fell 2-0. Can the Vikings avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
