Panthers
| 05/14/25 @ Red Hook | 3 |
| 05/13/25 @ Spackenkill | 16 |
| 05/12/25 @ New Paltz | 0 |
| 05/07/25 vs Our Lady of Lourdes | 11 |
| 05/03/25 vs Columbia | 2 |
| + 11 more games |
The Wallkill Panthers will take on the Valley Central Vikings at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Wallkill is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.6 runs per game this season.
Wallkill blew Red Hook out of the water the last time the pair played, but on Wednesday Red Hook got their revenge. The Panthers fell just short of the Raiders by a score of 5-3.
Wallkill saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Mike Daley, who went 1-for-3 with three RBI and one stolen base.
The home team had won the previous five meetings between Valley Central and Minisink Valley, and Valley Central kept the tradition alive. The Vikings put the hurt on the Warriors with a sharp 9-2 win on Monday.
Gavin Rounds spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on three hits and racked up 11 Ks.
On the hitting side, Justin Freeman and Darren Russo did most of the damage at the plate: Freeman went 2-for-4 with one home run and two runs, while Russo went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two doubles, and one run. That's the most hits Russo has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Jake Cancredi, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.
Valley Central was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .394. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Minisink Valley only posted a batting average of .207.
The victory got Valley Central back to even at 8-8. As for Wallkill, their loss dropped their record down to an identical 8-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Wallkill has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Valley Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Wallkill's way against Valley Central in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, as Wallkill made off with an 11-1 win. Do the Panthers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Vikings turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
