Blacklick Valley and Penns Manor are an even 3-3 against one another since April of 2015, but likely not for long. The Vikings will square off against the Comets at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Blacklick Valley has 11 straight wins, Penns Manor has seven straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Blacklick Valley is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past Summit Academy 20-0 on Friday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
Greg Schilling
| 04/25/25 vs Summit Academy | 6 |
| 03/24/25 @ Ferndale | 4 |
| 03/27/24 vs Turkeyfoot Valley Area | 3 |
| 04/16/24 vs Shanksville Stonycreek | 2 |
| 03/28/25 @ Purchase Line | 1 |
Greg Schilling made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Those six strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Drew McEvoy was incredible, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one double. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season. Another player making a difference was Nick Garver, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Homer-Center hit Penns Manor with a seven-run second inning on Friday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Comets lost 12-2 to the Wildcats. That's two games in a row now that the Comets have lost by exactly ten runs.
Penns Manor's loss dropped their record down to 2-9. As for Blacklick Valley, their record is now 11-1.
Blacklick Valley's speedy runners might be the difference in Saturday's match. The Vikings have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.4 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Penns Manor, though, as they've been averaging only 1 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Blacklick Valley continue to outrun the ball?
Blacklick Valley beat Penns Manor 9-4 in their previous matchup back in May of 2023. Will the Vikings repeat their success, or do the Comets have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
