The Mount Carmel Tornadoes will head out on the road to challenge the Sugar Valley Rural Phoenix at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Mount Carmel is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.
On Thursday, Mount Carmel beat Montoursville 9-6.
The team relied heavily on Owen Ramirez, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April of 2025. Gabe Yuskoski was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Sugar Valley Rural couldn't beat Muncy on Tuesday even though they stacked four runs on them in the fifth inning. The Phoenix fell just short of the Indians by a score of 7-5. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Phoenix have suffered since March 28, 2025.
Layden Bryan put in work no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing six innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off only two hits. Bryan was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI.
In other batting news, Bentley Andrus was cooking despite his team's loss, going a perfect 4-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. Andrus is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: he's snagged at least one every time he's taken the field this season.
Sugar Valley Rural now has a losing record of 1-2. As for Mount Carmel, their victory bumped their record up to 4-0.
Sugar Valley Rural's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Mount Carmel has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .517. It's a different story for Sugar Valley Rural, though, as they've only averaged .356. Will they be able to contain Mount Carmel's hitters?
Mount Carmel got the 'W' in their previous meeting back in May of 2018 against Sugar Valley Rural by a conclusive 10-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Tornadoes since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
