The Handley Tigers will square off against the Valley Rams at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Valley will be up against a hot Handley squad: the team just extended their winning streak to three. The Tigers came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 6-5 W against Bowdon. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Tigers have posted since March 7th.
Rylee Cummings looked comfortable as he tossed 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one hit in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Aden Anthony, who went 3-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April of 2025. The team also got some help courtesy of Zae Dunson, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and one double.
Meanwhile, Valley had just enough and edged out Callaway 3-2 on Thursday. The Rams haven't had any issues with the Cavaliers recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.
Bryant Hopkins spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on three hits and racked up eight Ks.
On the hitting side, Valley's victory was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Matthew McDonald, who went 1-for-3 with one run.
Valley's win bumped their record up to 12-5-1. As for Handley, their victory bumped their record up to 10-7.
Valley's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Handley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .313. It's a different story for Valley, though, as they've only averaged .235. Will they be able to contain Handley's hitters?
Handley skirted past Valley 2-1 in their previous meeting on March 7th. Will the Tigers repeat their success, or do the Rams have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
