The Cherry Valley-Springfield Patriots will take on the Oppenheim-Ephratah-St. Johnsville Wolves at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
On Wednesday, Cherry Valley-Springfield made easy work of Margaretville Central and carried off an 18-2 victory.
Emily Fox made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing three innings while giving up just two earned runs but no hits. Fox was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. That stolen base marked the first that she has snagged this season.
In other batting news, River Beauregard was incredible, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple. That's the most hits she has posted since back in May of 2024. Another player making a difference was Peyton Barbic, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI and one run.
Meanwhile, Oppenheim-Ephratah-St. Johnsville made easy work of Middleburgh on Wednesday and carried off a 29-1 win.
Like Cherry Valley-Springfield, Oppenheim-Ephratah-St. Johnsville also got a great game from a two-way player: Sydney Hazzard. On the mound, she tossed 3.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Hazzard was even better at the plate, getting on base in all five of her plate appearances with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Gianna McAdams, who went 4-for-5 with three stolen bases, three runs, and four RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Taylor Hayes, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with four runs, two stolen bases, and one double.
Oppenheim-Ephratah-St. Johnsville kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 21 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.6 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 matchups they've averaged 12.6.
Cherry Valley-Springfield is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-4 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.3 runs over those games. As for Oppenheim-Ephratah-St. Johnsville, the win got them back to even at 5-5.
Thursday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Cherry Valley-Springfield has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .458. However, it's not like Oppenheim-Ephratah-St. Johnsville struggles in that department as they've averaged .523. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Cherry Valley-Springfield skirted past Oppenheim-Ephratah-St. Johnsville 7-6 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Will the Patriots repeat their success, or do the Wolves have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
