The Ithaca Yellowjackets will head out to take on the Valley Lutheran Chargers at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Ithaca is coming into the contest hot, having won their last three games.
Ithaca will bounce into Friday's game after beating Carson City-Crystal, who they had gone 0-3 against in their three prior meetings. The Yellowjackets were the clear victors by a 10-0 margin over the Eagles on Wednesday. That ten run margin sets a new team best for the Yellowjackets this season.
Carsen Shankel made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Shankel was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one triple and two RBI. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Connor McMurphy, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. Colton Pratt was another key player, getting on base in two of his four plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
Ithaca always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .545. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, Valley Lutheran's good fortune finally ran out on Monday. They took a 9-5 hit to the loss column at the hands of Nouvel Catholic Central.
Ithaca's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 3-7. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.7 runs over those games. As for Valley Lutheran, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-2.
Ithaca came up short against Valley Lutheran when the teams last played back in April, falling 8-3. Can the Yellowjackets avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
