Turkeyfoot Valley Area is 0-10 against Shade since April of 2022 but things could change on Monday. The Rams will face off against the Panthers at 4:30 p.m. Turkeyfoot Valley Area will be strutting in after a win while Shade will be coming in after a defeat.
On Thursday, Turkeyfoot Valley Area made easy work of Shalom Christian Academy and carried off a 15-5 victory. Considering the Rams have won five matchups by more than seven runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Kylie Nichols was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off five hits. Nichols was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in two of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI.
In other pitching news, Shalom Christian Academy's batters probably weren't too happy with Rhylan Rugg, who pitched a no hitter and racked up six Ks (she gave up zero walks). Rugg has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one walk any time she's pitched this season.
Eirean Walker
| 05/07/26 vs Shalom Christian Academy | 3 |
| 05/06/26 vs Blacklick Valley | 2 |
| 04/28/26 @ Blacklick Valley | 2 |
| 04/24/26 @ Mapletown | 2 |
| 04/23/26 @ Ferndale | 2 |
Back at the plate, Turkeyfoot Valley Area let Jessica Pepe and Eirean Walker run wild. Pepe got on base in all five of her plate appearances with two runs and one RBI, while Walker went 1-for-3 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Those three RBI gave Walker a new career-high. Rianna Culp also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
The home team had won the previous four meetings between Shade and Windber, and Windber kept the tradition alive. The Panthers came up short against the Ramblers on Wednesday, falling 10-0. The Panthers haven't had much luck with the Ramblers recently, as the team has come up short the last three times they've met.
Shade saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Tori Bowers, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base.
Turkeyfoot Valley Area is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-7 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.3 runs over those games. As for Shade, their loss dropped their record down to 9-4.
Monday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Turkeyfoot Valley Area hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .319. However, it's not like Shade struggles in that department as they've averaged .383. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Turkeyfoot Valley Area couldn't quite get it done against Shade when the teams last played on Tuesday as they fell 9-6. Can the Rams avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
