Baseball Recap: Wallkill Wins Going Away Against Valley Central

Panthers

Margin (Wins)

04/24/25 @ Saugerties	15
05/13/25 @ Spackenkill	12
05/07/25 vs Our Lady of Lourdes	11
05/20/25 vs Valley Central	10
05/28/25 vs Valley Central	7

Wallkill had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the seven-run drubbing they dealt Valley Central on Wednesday. The Panthers were the clear victors by a 9-2 margin over the Vikings. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won six games by seven runs or more so far this season.

Mason Franklin made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out 13 batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. Those 13 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs. He is becoming a predictor of Wallkill's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 6-1 (and 5-8 when he doesn't).

In other pitching news, Bryce Buchalter looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, he posted three strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April.

Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Mike Daley, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Ryan Mayer was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run and one RBI.

Wallkill was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .467. They are a perfect 6-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.

Wallkill is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-9 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.0 runs over those games. As for Valley Central, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-10.

Wallkill didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next contest, a 2-1 win against Cornwall Central on the 1st. Valley Central does not have any more games scheduled as of now.