St. Joseph Central is 2-8 against Tug Valley since May of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Irish will face off against the Panthers at 6:00 p.m. St. Joseph Central will be strutting in after a win while Tug Valley will be coming in after a defeat.
St. Joseph Central is headed into the match having just posted their closest victory since March 19th on Thursday. They skirted past Tolsia 6-4. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Irish.
Kate Oxley spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and three unearned) runs on two hits and racked up six Ks.
Brooklyn Anderson
| 05/08/25 vs Tolsia | 3 |
| 05/07/25 vs Van | 1 |
| 05/05/25 vs Man | 3 |
| 04/28/25 @ Capital | 1 |
| 04/24/25 vs Fairview | 4 |
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Brooklyn Anderson, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three stolen bases, three runs, and one double. She has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last five times she's played.
Sherman hit Tug Valley with a four-run sixth inning on Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Panthers lost 9-2 to the Tide. The Panthers' loss signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.
Tug Valley saw eight different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Bailee Hall, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. Aleksah Osborne also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
St. Joseph Central pushed their record up to 13-9 with the win, which was their eighth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.5 runs over those games. As for Tug Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 19-10.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. St. Joseph Central has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Tug Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
St. Joseph Central couldn't quite get it done against Tug Valley when the teams last played back in April as they fell 7-2. Can the Irish avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
