The West Branch Warriors are taking a road trip to take on the Curwensville Golden Tide at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. West Branch is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.4 runs per game this season.
While West Branch's win against Williamsburg wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Warriors narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past the Blue Pirates 4-2. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Warriors have posted against the Blue Pirates since May 5, 2022.
Lukas Colton made a big impact no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 12 over seven innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Coby Kephart
| 04/28/25 @ Southern Huntingdon County | 3 |
| 04/25/25 vs Harmony Area | 3 |
| 04/29/25 vs Williamsburg | 2 |
| 04/24/25 vs Claysburg-Kimmel | 2 |
| 04/17/25 @ Bucktail | 2 |
| + 7 more games |
In other batting news, Coby Kephart was excellent, going 1-for-2 with two runs and one stolen base. He has become a key player for West Branch: the team is 6-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 3-4 otherwise.
Meanwhile, Curwensville came into Tuesday's matchup having lost four straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They came out on top against Moshannon Valley by a score of 5-2 on Tuesday.
Like West Branch, Curwensville also got a great game from a two-way player: Lawson Neiswender. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over 4.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off one hit. Those ten strikeouts gave Neiswender a new career-high. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three doubles, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Hunter Tkacik, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one double, and one RBI. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in April of 2024.
Curwensville was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. They are 2-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
West Branch has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.8 runs over those games. As for Curwensville, their record is now 5-8.
West Branch took their win against Curwensville in their previous matchup on April 1st by a conclusive 14-2 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Warriors since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
