The Blacklick Valley Vikings are taking a road trip to square off against the Rockwood Rockets at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Blacklick Valley is coming into the contest hot, having won their last 14 games.
Blacklick Valley lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Bishop Carroll, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Wednesday's match. The Vikings' pitcher stepped up to hand the Huskies a 14-0 shutout on Wednesday. The Vikings might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five games by ten runs or more this season.
Eli Sheesley was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-5 with three RBI.
Drew McEvoy
| 04/30/25 @ Bishop Carroll | 4 |
| 04/28/25 vs Berlin Brothersvalley | 2 |
| 04/25/25 vs Summit Academy | 2 |
| 04/09/25 vs Harmony Area | 2 |
| 04/01/25 vs North Star | 2 |
In other batting news, Drew McEvoy was incredible, going 4-for-5 with four runs, two RBI, and one double. Those four hits gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Collin Nedrich, who went 4-for-5 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Blacklick Valley was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .412. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .324 or higher in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Rockwood hadn't done well against North Star recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. The Rockets walked away with a 7-2 win over the Cougars. The victory was nothing new for the Rockets as they're now sitting on five straight.
Like Blacklick Valley, Rockwood also got a great game from a two-way player: Carson Brown. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off eight hits. Brown was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with four stolen bases, three runs, and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Max Trimpey, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Nathan Show was another key player, getting on base in two of his three plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs.
Blacklick Valley pushed their record up to 14-1 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.4 runs over those games. As for Rockwood, their record now sits at 12-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Blacklick Valley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Rockwood struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Blacklick Valley couldn't quite get it done against Rockwood when the teams last played back in April of 2024 as they fell 8-4. Can the Vikings avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
