The Blue Ridge Jays will challenge the Roanoke Valley Christian EAGLES at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Blue Ridge is coming into the contest hot, having won their last nine games.
Blue Ridge's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Shenandoah Valley Academy as they made off with a 15-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Jays, who have now won ten matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Cameron Kerns looked comfortable as he struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Those eight strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
At the plate, Lochlan 'Bear' Paul was a standout: he went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Mark Warner, who went 2-for-3 with three runs and two RBI.
Blue Ridge kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in eight consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 13 runs the game before, Roanoke Valley Christian was a bit more limited in their game on Tuesday. They came up short against Grace Christian, falling 7-1. The defeat continues a trend for the EAGLES in their meetings with the Warriors: they've now lost eight in a row.
Roanoke Valley Christian saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Colton Bowman, who went 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Blue Ridge's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-5. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.5 runs on average over those games. As for Roanoke Valley Christian, their loss dropped their record down to 5-9.
Roanoke Valley Christian's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Blue Ridge hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .354. It's a different story for Roanoke Valley Christian, though, as they've only averaged .252. Will they be able to contain Blue Ridge's hitters?
Blue Ridge beat Roanoke Valley Christian 6-2 when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Do the Jays have another victory up their sleeve, or will the EAGLES turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
