The Vallivue Falcons will take on the Bishop Kelly Knights at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Vallivue will be looking to extend their current eight-game winning streak.
Vallivue barely beat Columbia the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Falcons blew past the Wildcats 13-6 on Friday. The result was nothing new for the Falcons, who have now won 12 contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Vallivue got a great performance from Baren Vadapalli as he tossed five innings while giving up five earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. Vadapalli has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
Cooper Crutcher
| 04/18/25 vs Columbia | 3 |
| 04/15/25 vs Skyview | 2 |
| 04/10/25 vs Emmett | 2 |
| 04/02/25 @ Emmett | 2 |
| 03/25/25 @ Minico | 2 |
On the hitting side, Cooper Crutcher was incredible, going 1-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Noah Delgado, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Bishop Kelly hadn't done well against Skyview recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. The Knights came out on top against the Hawks by a score of 9-6. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Knights.
Zach Wright made a big impact no matter where he played. He struck out six batters over 6.2 innings while giving up three earned (and three unearned) runs off 12 hits (and only one walk). He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Bishop Kelly is undefeated when he allows at most one walk, but 7-9 otherwise. Wright was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI and one run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Colin Brazil, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. He is becoming a predictor of Bishop Kelly's success: when he posts at least three hits the team is undefeated (and 8-9 when he doesn't). Lucas Blaine was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.
Bishop Kelly was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .435. They are a perfect 8-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Vallivue's win was their 13th straight at home, which pushed their record up to 21-1. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.9 runs on average over those games. As for Bishop Kelly, their win bumped their record up to 11-9.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Vallivue has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Bishop Kelly struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.6 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Vallivue skirted past Bishop Kelly 3-2 when the teams last played last Tuesday. Will the Falcons repeat their success, or do the Knights have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
