The Riverside Vikings will venture away from home to challenge the West Scranton Invaders at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Riverside was handed a seven-run defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Friday. They won by a run and slipped past Western Wayne 6-5.
Shelby Lewis spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and three unearned) runs on six hits.
On the hitting side, Riverside's win was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Mackenzie Keller, who went 1-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. That stolen base marked the first that Keller has snagged this season. Caitie Beecham was another, going 1-for-3 with three RBI and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but West Scranton ultimately got the result they hoped for on Friday. They had just enough and edged out Wallenpaupack Area 4-3. The game was the first time the Invaders have beaten the Buckhorns on their field since May 17, 2021.
Kaleiah Connor made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she pitched eight innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off nine hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one home run.
In other batting news, Sophia Deluca was incredible, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one home run. Another player making a difference was Mia Tallo, who went 2-for-4 with one home run.
West Scranton lost a few balls and finished the game with four home runs. That's the most home runs they've posted since the start of last season.
The victory was the third in a row for West Scranton, bringing their record up to 7-5. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Riverside, their record is now 8-6.
Riverside came up short against West Scranton in their previous meeting back in May of 2025, falling 16-11. Can the Vikings avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
