Baseball Game Preview: Frankfort Wildcats vs. Valley Heights Mustangs

The Frankfort Wildcats will head out to face off against the Valley Heights Mustangs at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Frankfort is coming into the contest hot, having won their last four games.

While Frankfort's victory against Centralia wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Wildcats skirted past the Panthers 8-6. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Wildcats have posted since April 14th.

Meanwhile, Valley Heights wound up with the same score they had in their last game (15-4), but sadly the team found themselves on the wrong side of the score this time.

Mack Shanks was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. He didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-low in earned runs (zero). He was also big at the plate, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases and two runs.

In other batting news, Dino Conti was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. Those stolen bases marked the first that he has snagged this season. James Bohlken was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double.

Frankfort's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-3. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. As for Valley Heights, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost ten of their last 11 games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 4-16 record this season.

Frankfort took their victory against Valley Heights in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 15-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Wildcats since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.