The Varela Vipers will head out on the road to challenge the American Heritage Patriots at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (Varela: 3.5, American Heritage: 3.4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Varela fell victim to Braddock and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They fell just short of the Bulldogs by a score of 2-0. The game marked the first time this season in which the Vipers were not able to get on the board.
Anthony Harvey was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out ten batters over six innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits (and only one walk). He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Varela saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Yoidi Martinez, who went 1-for-3 with one double. That double marked the first that Martinez's hit this season.
Meanwhile, American Heritage waltzed into their contest on Tuesday with five straight wins... but they left with six. They put the hurt on the Titans with a sharp 13-3 win. The Patriots might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three matches by seven runs or more this season.
Talan Holiday tossed a big game, striking out nine batters over 4.2 innings while giving up just two earned runs off one hit. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in May of 2024.
On the hitting side, RJ Machado was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. What's more, he posted three hits, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Dylan Dubovik, who went 1-for-2 with one home run and three RBI.
American Heritage was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .407. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as True North Classical Academy only posted a batting average of .118.
American Heritage pushed their record up to 6-1 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.2 runs over those games. As for Varela, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Varela has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like American Heritage struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
