The Mingo Central Miners will face off against the Tug Valley Panthers at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Mingo Central had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 12-run drubbing they dealt Phelps on Thursday. The Miners blew past the Hornets 15-3.
Dylan Vance made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He struck out ten batters over five innings while giving up three earned runs off only two hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with one triple and two RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March of 2024.
In other batting news, Aaron Blankenship was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, six RBI, and two stolen bases. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Dylan Fields, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Mingo Central always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .613. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Tug Valley and WestSide meet (three straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Wednesday. The Panthers' pitcher stepped up to hand the Renegades an 8-0 shutout. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five matchups by seven runs or more this season.
Not much got past Austin Smith, who gave up just four hits to keep WestSide off the board. Smith also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Tug Valley is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 2-9 otherwise.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Gavin Fitzpatrick, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. He has become a key player for Tug Valley: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 3-9 otherwise. Elijah Fluty was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base.
Tug Valley has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-9 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for Mingo Central, their victory bumped their record up to 4-9.
Mingo Central skirted past Tug Valley 3-1 when the teams last played on Tuesday. Do the Miners have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Panthers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
