vs
| 04/13/26 - Home | 6-2 W |
| 04/25/25 - Home | 3-8 L |
| 04/29/24 - Away | 0-11 L |
| 04/24/24 - Home | 9-3 W |
| 04/20/23 - Away | 0-3 L |
| + 3 more games |
Tri-Valley and Eldred are an even 4-4 against one another since April of 2022, but likely not for long. The Bears will head out to challenge the Yellowjackets at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Tri-Valley has given up an average of 8.7 runs per game this season, but Tuesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Tri-Valley lost 11-2 to Chapel Field Christian on Thursday. The Bears have struggled against the Lions recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive lost matchup.
Tri-Valley saw eight different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Andrew Kelly, who went 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Eldred). They put the hurt on Rockland Central with a sharp 11-1 win on Monday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
Evan Zgrodek made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 13 batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and not a single walk). Eldred is 3-1 when Zgrodek posts ten or more strikeouts, but 1-9 otherwise. Zgrodek was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs. He has been hot recently, having posted two or more stolen bases the last three times he's played.
In other batting news, Eldred let Mason Tice and Jayson Banach run wild. Tice went 2-for-4 with five stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI, while Banach went 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI. With that strong performance, Tice is now averaging an impressive 1.1 stolen bases per game. Trai Kaufman was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Eldred always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .562. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive matchups.
Eldred's record now sits at 4-10. As for Tri-Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-11.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Tri-Valley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Eldred struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Tri-Valley was able to grind out a solid win over Eldred in their previous meeting back in April, winning 6-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bears since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
