The Allentown Central Catholic Vikings will face off against the Emmaus Hornets at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Allentown Central Catholic 3.5, Emmaus 4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Allentown Central Catholic is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Everything went their way against William Allen on Monday as they made off with a 13-3 victory. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Vikings as it put an end to their four-game losing streak.
Ryan Rooney and Charlie Hahn did most of the damage at the plate: Rooney went 1-for-2 with two runs, two RBI, and one double, while Hahn got on base in all three of his plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. That's the most runs Rooney has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Nicholas Vanfleet, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one run and one RBI.
Allentown Central Catholic always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .633. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Emmaus fought the good fight in their extra-innings game against Whitehall on Monday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Zephyrs by a score of 6-5.
Jaden Betz was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out ten batters over 4.2 innings while giving up three earned runs off three hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Logan Ravier was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Emmaus has also traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 7-7 record this season. Even worse, they were so close so many times: the losses came by an average of only 1.33 runs. As for Allentown Central Catholic, their victory bumped their record up to 9-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Allentown Central Catholic has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Emmaus struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Allentown Central Catholic was able to grind out a solid win over Emmaus in their previous matchup back in March, winning 6-2. Do the Vikings have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Hornets turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
