The Shepaug Valley Spartans will square off against the Coventry Patriots at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Shepaug Valley is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by an 8-1 margin over Coginchaug Regional. The victory was familiar territory for the Spartans, who have now won four games in a row.
The team relied heavily on Rocco Smith, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three runs, and one stolen base. Miles Wilson was another key player, going 3-for-4 with three RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, Coventry got the win against Immaculate on Tuesday by a conclusive 12-2. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Patriots.
Collin Harrington and Jake Roberts did most of the damage at the plate: Harrington went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one double, and one RBI, while Roberts got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs and two RBI. Those three runs gave Roberts a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Jack Siena, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with two runs and two RBI.
Coventry always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .538. They are a perfect 6-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Shepaug Valley pushed their record up to 20-4 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Coventry, their win bumped their record up to 14-9.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Shepaug Valley has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Coventry struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Shepaug Valley skirted past Coventry 4-2 in their previous meeting back in June of 2021. Do the Spartans have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Patriots turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
