The Northern Lebanon Vikings will venture away from home to take on the Cedar Crest Falcons at 4:15 p.m. on Friday. Northern Lebanon is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.1 runs per game this season.
Northern Lebanon came out on top against Pequea Valley on Wednesday thanks in part to the team's impressive nine-run fifth inning. The Vikings' pitcher stepped up to hand the Braves a 10-0 shutout. The Vikings haven't had any issues with the Braves recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.
Brian Bicksler
| 04/30/25 vs Pequea Valley | 6 |
| 04/26/25 @ Blue Mountain | 3 |
| 03/24/25 @ Cocalico | 7 |
Brian Bicksler made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out six over five innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in March. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Adrian Gonzalez, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Connor Stoltz was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
Northern Lebanon hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in six consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Cedar Crest was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their fifth straight loss. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 9-8 heartbreaker at the hands of J.P. McCaskey.
Isaac Kreider was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Carson DiBiaso, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run.
Northern Lebanon pushed their record up to 16-2 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.3 runs over those games. As for Cedar Crest, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-11.
Cedar Crest's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Northern Lebanon has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .434. It's a different story for Cedar Crest, though, as they've only averaged .362. Will they be able to contain Northern Lebanon's hitters?
Northern Lebanon might still be hurting after the 10-0 loss they got from Cedar Crest in their previous meeting back in April of 2019. Can the Vikings avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
