Baseball Game Preview: Monticello Panthers vs. Valley Central Vikings

The Monticello Panthers will head out to face off against the Valley Central Vikings at 4:15 p.m. on Monday. Monticello is looking for their season's first win.

Friday just wasn't the day for Monticello's offense. They came up short against Cornwall Central on Friday, falling 20-0.

The home team had won the previous four meetings between Valley Central and Warwick, and Warwick kept the tradition alive. The Vikings fell just short of the Wildcats by a score of 11-10 on Wednesday. Even if the Vikings couldn't come away with the victory, the high-scoring effort was a great turnaround for their hitters, which had struggled int the games prior.

Kellen Pliler and Justin Freeman did some serious damage despite the final result: Pliler got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base, while Freeman went 2-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. That stolen base marked the first that Pliler has snagged this season. Another player making a difference was Nicholas Strobach, who got on base in two of his three plate appearances with two runs.

Valley Central's loss dropped their record down to 4-6. As for Monticello, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-8.

Monticello suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Valley Central when the teams last played back in April. Can the Panthers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.