The Fonda-Fultonville Valley Hawks will venture away from home to face off against the Broadalbin-Perth Patriots at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Fonda-Fultonville will be looking to extend their current five-game winning streak.
Fonda-Fultonville proved they can win big on Wednesday (they won by ten) and on Monday they proved they can win the close ones too. They never let Cobleskill-Richmondville get on the board and left with a 1-0 victory.
Jake Hernigle made a big impact no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out ten over seven innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI.
Hernigle wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Sam Huckans, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, Broadalbin-Perth's hitters rose to the challenge against a Horses pitching crew that boasted an average of only 3.71 runs allowed on Monday. The Patriots had just enough and edged out Schuylerville 11-10. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Patriots have posted against the Horses since May 11, 2016.
Zach Thompson was excellent, going 1-for-4 with one home run.
Broadalbin-Perth lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've posted since the start of last season.
Fonda-Fultonville's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-4. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Broadalbin-Perth, their record now sits at 7-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Fonda-Fultonville has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Broadalbin-Perth struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Fonda-Fultonville was able to grind out a solid victory over Broadalbin-Perth in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, winning 6-2. Do the Valley Hawks have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Patriots turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
