The Hopewell Vikings will venture away from home to square off against the Avonworth Antelopes at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Hopewell took a six-run loss the last time they faced off against Ambridge, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Vikings came out on top in a nail-biter against the Bridgers on Tuesday, sneaking past 6-4. The Vikings' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
The team relied heavily on Charles Smetana, who scored a run while going 3-for-3. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in doubles (two). Drew Donovan also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
Meanwhile, Avonworth had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10 runs) and they went ahead and made it five on Tuesday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Ironmen an 11-0 shutout. The Antelopes might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four games by six runs or more this season.
Sam Zahn looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits any time he's pitched this season.
At the plate, Jack Dolan and Mason Metz did most of the damage at the plate: Dolan scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-2, while Metz went 1-for-2 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Declan Ehrin, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-1.
Avonworth pushed their record up to 5-1-1 with the win, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Hopewell, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Hopewell has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Avonworth struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Hopewell was able to grind out a solid victory over Avonworth when the teams last played back in March of 2023, winning 10-7. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Vikings since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
