Old Lyme and Valley Regional are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2016, but likely not for long. The Old Lyme Wildcats will head out on the road to face off against the Valley Regional Warriors at 3:45 p.m. on Friday. The pair are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Valley Regional is hoping to do on Friday what East Hampton couldn't on Wednesday: put an end to Old Lyme's winning streak, which now stands at four games. Old Lyme blew past East Hampton 13-1. Considering Old Lyme has won four contests by more than 11 runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Emma Bayor made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out 14 batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (and only one walk). Bayor has been consistent recently: she hasn't pitched less than five innings every time she's pitched this season. Bayor was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
In other batting news, Sybil Neary was incredible, going 2-for-3 with a home run, four RBI, and two runs. Magdalena Tooker was another key contributor, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, Valley Regional scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Monday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Portland a 19-0 shutout. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Valley Regional.
Like Old Lyme, Valley Regional also got a great game from a two-way player: Kellyn Kolber. She didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. Kolber was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances.
In other batting news, Valley Regional let Riley Soares and Nataly Pavon-Avila loose on the outfield. Soares scored three runs and stole three bases while getting on base in three of her five plate appearances, while Pavon-Avila scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was Amelia Giantonio, who scored four runs while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
Old Lyme pushed their record up to 7-1 with that win, which was their fourth straight at home. As for Valley Regional, their victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 3-5.
Friday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Old Lyme has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .479. However, it's not like Valley Regional struggles in that department as they've averaged .461. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Old Lyme took their win against Valley Regional in their previous meeting back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 13-0. Will Old Lyme repeat their success, or does Valley Regional have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
