The West Scranton Invaders will venture away from home to take on the Valley View Cougars at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. West Scranton is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.2 runs per game this season.
West Scranton is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to ten runs on Monday, they were much more limited against Abington Heights on Tuesday. They came up short against the Comets, falling 7-0. The defeat continues a trend for the Invaders in their meetings with the Comets: they've now lost nine in a row.
West Scranton saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Laney Mackie, who went 2-for-3 with one double.
Meanwhile, Valley View got the win against Scranton Prep on Tuesday by a conclusive 12-6. Considering the Cougars have won nine matchups by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Abbi Call made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out 20 batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and three unearned) runs off five hits. Those 20 strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in all five of her plate appearances with one home run, four RBI, and two runs.
In other batting news, Ella Swingle was a standout: she went 2-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. That's the most runs she has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Coral Kelly, who went 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI.
Valley View was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .432. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Scranton Prep only posted a batting average of .258.
Valley View pushed their record up to 14-3 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for West Scranton, their loss dropped their record down to 9-7.
Friday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. West Scranton hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .320. However, it's not like Valley View struggles in that department as they've averaged .369. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
