The Middleton Vikings will face off against the Borah Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
Borah will be up against a hot Middleton team: the squad just extended their winning streak to four. The Vikings put the hurt on Boise with a sharp 13-1 win on Friday. The result was nothing new for the Vikings, who have now won six contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Kellen Viehweg spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on five hits and racked up seven Ks.
At the plate, Jeremiah Keithley and Jedsen Aldrich did most of the damage at the plate: Keithley went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base, while Aldrich went 2-for-3 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run. That's the most RBI Aldrich has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Grady Churchfield, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
They weren't the only one making solid contact: Middleton kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in four consecutive games.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Borah, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. They were the clear victors by a 9-3 margin over Meridian on Friday. The Lions haven't had any issues with the Warriors recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive victory against them.
Tate Kubena was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over six innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Borah is 2-1 when he allows at most three earned runs, but 6-9 otherwise. Kubena was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI. That triple marked the first that he hit this season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ryan Gross, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Carson McCarney was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.
Middleton pushed their record up to 11-3 with the win, which was their seventh straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.9 runs over those games. As for Borah, their win bumped their record up to 8-10.
Borah's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Middleton hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .341. It's a different story for Borah, though, as they've only averaged .223. Will they be able to contain Middleton's hitters?
Middleton took their victory against Borah when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 9-1 score. Do the Vikings have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Lions turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
