Baseball Game Preview: Windber Ramblers vs. Blacklick Valley Vikings

The Windber Ramblers will venture away from home to square off against the Blacklick Valley Vikings at 4:15 p.m. on Monday. Windber is coming into the contest on a four-game losing streak.

Windber fought the good fight in their extra-innings game against Conemaugh Valley on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Blue Jays by a score of 8-7. Ramblers fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team's lost against the Blue Jays since on Friday.

Lucas Oleksa made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. Nathan Betcher also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.

Meanwhile, Blacklick Valley unfortunately witnessed the end of their 14-game winning streak on Friday. They lost 10-3 to Rockwood. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Vikings, who until this matchup were averaging 3.5 runs allowed.

Blacklick Valley saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Greg Schilling, who went 2-for-3 with one RBI.

Blacklick Valley's defeat dropped their record down to 14-2. As for Windber, their loss dropped their record down to 6-9.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Windber has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Blacklick Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.

Windber came up short against Blacklick Valley in their previous matchup back in May of 2023, falling 9-4. Can the Ramblers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.