Minerva is 0-10 against Marlington since May of 2019 but things could change on Tuesday. The Lions will be playing at home against the Dukes at 5:00 p.m. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with Minerva sitting on three straight wins and Marlington on four.
Minerva will bounce into Tuesday's game after beating Salem, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. The Lions won by a run and slipped past the Quakers 2-1. While the Lions didn't have the best season last year (they finished 3-19), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Braydon Wood spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on five hits and racked up seven Ks.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Marlington). They walked away with a 9-5 victory over Crestview on Friday. While the Dukes didn't have the best season last year (they finished 10-14), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Logan Smith made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He pitched 6.2 innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. Smith was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. That stolen base was his first of the season.
Smith wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Dylan Heatherington, who went 3-for-4 with three stolen bases and three runs. That's the most runs Heatherington has posted since back in April of 2024. Tatem Hoffman also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
Minerva's win bumped their record up to 6-4. As for Marlington, their victory bumped their record up to 7-4.
Minerva suffered a grim 12-1 defeat to Marlington in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Lions avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
