The Saucon Valley Panthers will square off against the Salisbury Township Falcons at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday. The last three games Saucon Valley has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Salisbury Township is facing Saucon Valley at the wrong time: Saucon Valley suffered their first home loss of the season on Thursday and they're likely out for redemption. They fell just short of the Bulldogs by a score of 8-7.
Saucon Valley got a good showing from Jacob Eshleman, who tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. What's more, Eshleman gave up only one walk, the fewest he's had since back in March.
On the hitting side, Cole Hubert was cooking despite his team's loss, going 3-for-4 with one home run, two stolen bases, and two runs. Nic Albanese was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Salisbury Township). Their pitchers stepped up to hand Wilson Area a 20-0 shutout on Friday. The result was nothing new for the Falcons, who have now won five matchups by seven runs or more so far this season.
Owen Fogel was a major factor no matter where he played. He tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one walk in five consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, Salisbury Township let Nate Nunez and Caleb Gonzalez run wild. Nunez got on base in four of his five plate appearances with four runs, one stolen base, and one RBI, while Gonzalez got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three stolen bases and four runs. Gonzalez has become a key player for Salisbury Township: the team is 8-1 when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 2-3 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Michael Stauffer, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
Salisbury Township always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .676. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Wilson Area only posted an OBP of .273.
Saucon Valley's loss dropped their record down to 10-3. As for Salisbury Township, their victory bumped their record up to 10-4.
Saucon Valley took their win against Salisbury Township in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 6-0 score. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Falcons have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
