The Williams Valley Vikings will take on the Minersville Battlin' Miners at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Williams Valley barely beat Tri-Valley the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Vikings never let the Bulldogs get on the board and left with a 15-0 victory on Thursday. The win was familiar territory for the Vikings, who have now won nine contests in a row.
Sage Smeltz made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Olivia Hand, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Kayla Hand, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and three runs.
Williams Valley hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least five batters in seven consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Minersville, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Wednesday. They blew past Shenandoah Valley 17-2 on Thursday. The victory continues a trend for the Battlin' Miners in their matchups with the Blue Devils: they've now won three in a row.
Cali Laudeman looked comfortable as she tossed three innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits.
At the plate, Payton Frantz was incredible, going 2-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and one triple. That triple marked the first that she has hit this season. Grace Sterner was another key player, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with three runs and two RBI.
Williams Valley pushed their record up to 17-1 with the win, which was their ninth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Minersville, their win bumped their record up to 8-10.
Tuesday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Williams Valley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .455. However, it's not like Minersville struggles in that department as they've averaged .379. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Williams Valley's way against Minersville in their previous matchup back in April, as Williams Valley made off with an 8-1 victory. Do the Vikings have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Battlin' Miners turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
