Baseball Game Preview: Homer-Center Wildcats vs. Conemaugh Valley Blue Jays

The Homer-Center Wildcats will challenge the Conemaugh Valley Blue Jays at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Homer-Center is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.9 runs per game this season.

Homer-Center will roll into the match after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run on Monday, then bounced right back against Purchase Line on Wednesday. The Wildcats blew past the Red Dragons 13-3. That looming 13-3 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Wildcats yet this season.

Noah Turk was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up three earned runs off six hits. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in April of 2024. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI.

Braden Dunn

Runs (Career)

04/09/25 @ Purchase Line	4
04/01/25 @ River Valley	2
03/29/25 vs Penns Valley Area	2
03/21/25 vs Northern Cambria	2
03/19/25 vs Cambria Heights	2

In other batting news, Dom Shimko and Braden Dunn did most of the damage at the plate: Shimko scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3, while Dunn scored four runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Those four runs gave Dunn a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Nathan Birchall, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two RBI.

Homer-Center always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .707. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

Meanwhile, Conemaugh Valley came up short against United on Wednesday and fell 6-1. The Blue Jays haven't had much luck with the Lions recently, as the team has come up short the last three times they've met.

Logan Heinlein was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-3 with three stolen bases and one RBI.

Homer-Center has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-3 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. As for Conemaugh Valley, their defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 4-1 and their overall record down to 5-2-1.

Homer-Center skirted past Conemaugh Valley 7-6 when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Do the Wildcats have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Blue Jays turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.