The Blue Ridge Jays will face off against the Shenandoah Valley Academy Stars at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Blue Ridge has eight straight wins, Shenandoah Valley Academy has six straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Saturday, Blue Ridge made easy work of James River HomeSchool and carried off a 17-1 victory. Considering the Jays have won nine contests by more than five runs this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
Lochlan 'Bear' Paul was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in eight consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one run and one double.
In other batting news, Blue Ridge let Paul Berry and Hudson Slye run wild. Berry went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs, while Slye went 2-for-3 with three runs, two RBI, and one double. That's the most RBI Slye has posted over his last nine matchups. Josh Landis was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two runs and one stolen base.
Blue Ridge was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .391. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .357 or higher in five consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Shenandoah Valley Academy scored the most runs they've had this season on Monday, but it wasn't enough. They came up short against Blue Ridge, falling 24-9. While the Stars didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Barons 8-3 in the first period.
Blue Ridge pushed their record up to 12-5 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.0 runs over those games. As for Shenandoah Valley Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-5.
Everything went Blue Ridge's way against Shenandoah Valley Academy when the teams last played back in April of 2024, as Blue Ridge made off with a 23-0 win. Will the Jays repeat their success, or do the Stars have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
