The West Branch Warriors will head out on the road to take on the Moshannon Valley Black Knights/Damsels at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both teams will really light up the scoreboard.
West Branch put the finishing touches on their seventh blowout victory of the season on Monday. They put the hurt on Bucktail with a sharp 13-2 victory. The win was familiar territory for West Branch who now have four in a row.
The team relied heavily on Isaac Tiracorda, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was Zach Mcgonigal, who scored two runs while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Moshannon Valley scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Tuesday. They blew past Glendale 12-4. With that victory, Moshannon Valley brought their scoring average up to 7.5 runs per game.
Landyn Evans made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out nine batters over four innings while giving up four earned runs off five hits. Evans was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Tanner Kephart, who went 3-for-5 with a home run, two stolen bases, and three runs. Zach Reifer was another key contributor, scoring four runs while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances.
West Branch pushed their record up to 7-1 with that win, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. As for Moshannon Valley, the victory got them back to even at 2-2.
Tuesday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. West Branch has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .489. However, it's not like Moshannon Valley struggles in that department as they've averaged .436. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went West Branch's way against Moshannon Valley in their previous meeting back in April of 2023 as West Branch made off with an 11-0 win. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Moshannon Valley's Zach Witherow, who struck out 13 batters over 5.2 innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits. Now that he won't be playing on Tuesday, will it be that much easier for West Branch to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps