The Hopewell Vikings will head out to square off against the Mohawk Area Warriors at 4:15 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.
Hopewell is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victors by an 18-6 margin over Beaver Falls on Wednesday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Vikings considering their two-run performance the match before.
Alana Covalt was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Covalt was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Isabella Katkich, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March of 2024. Victoria Mann was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
Hopewell always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .583. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Mohawk Area entered their tilt with Quaker Valley on Wednesday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Quakers a 12-0 shutout. Give the Warriors' pitching crew some credit: that's the team's third straight shutout.
Like Hopewell, Mohawk Area also got a great game from a two-way player: Reagan Magno. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Magno has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one double.
In other batting news, Mohawk Area got a massive performance out of Addy Moskal, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Moskal is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Makenna Stewart, who scored two runs while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Hopewell now has a winning record of 4-3. As for Mohawk Area, their record now sits at 5-2.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Hopewell hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 1 home runs per game. However, it's not like Mohawk Area struggles in that department as they've been averaging 1.3 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Hopewell suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Mohawk Area in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Vikings avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
