The Paoli Rams will face off against the Springs Valley Blackhawks at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Paoli will be strutting in after a victory while Springs Valley will be coming in after a loss.
The scorekeeper got an easy start on Friday as neither Paoli nor Evansville Christian made it on the board until the fifth inning. The Rams won by a run and slipped past the Eagles 8-7. That's two games straight that the Rams have won by just one run.
Tyler Hannon
| 04/24/25 vs Crawford County | 5 |
| 04/10/25 @ West Washington | 5 |
| 04/18/25 vs Mitchell | 4 |
| 05/06/25 vs Salem | 2 |
| 04/14/25 @ Orleans | 2 |
Cooper Spires and Tyler Hannon made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Spires tossed 4.2 innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits. Meanwhile, Hannon pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He also tossed no walks, which is notable because Paoli is undefeated when he allows at most two walks, but 2-5 otherwise. At the plate, Spires went 3-for-4 with two RBI, while Hannon went 3-for-4 with one run. That's the most hits Spires has posted since back in April.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kirkland Hughes, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Justin Thornton, who went 1-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Paoli was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .419. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Springs Valley didn't have quite enough to beat Trinity Lutheran on Saturday and fell 5-4. The Blackhawks have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Paoli pushed their record up to 6-5 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. They've had to fight for that success though, as they only beat their opponents by an average of 2.75 runs across that stretch. As for Springs Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-5.
Everything went Paoli's way against Springs Valley when the teams last played back in April of 2024, as Paoli made off with a 7-1 victory. Will the Rams repeat their success, or do the Blackhawks have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
