The Shenandoah Valley Academy Stars will venture away from home to square off against the Blue Ridge Jays at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Shenandoah Valley Academy has struggled recently with six defeats in a row, while Blue Ridge will arrive with eight straight victories.
Shenandoah Valley Academy couldn't beat Blue Ridge on Monday even though they stacked eight runs on them in the first inning. The Stars lost 24-9 to the Barons. On the bright side, the nine- run effort marked the Stars' highest-scoring match to date.
Meanwhile, Blue Ridge made easy work of James River HomeSchool on Saturday and carried off a 17-1 win. The Jays might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine games by six runs or more this season.
Lochlan 'Bear' Paul made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in eight consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one run and one double.
In other batting news, Blue Ridge let Paul Berry and Hudson Slye run wild. Berry went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs, while Slye went 2-for-3 with three runs, two RBI, and one double. That's the most stolen bases Berry has posted since back in April of 2024. Josh Landis was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two runs and one stolen base.
Blue Ridge was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .391. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .357 or higher in five consecutive contests.
Blue Ridge pushed their record up to 12-5 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.7 runs on average over those games. As for Shenandoah Valley Academy, their loss dropped their record down to 0-5.
Shenandoah Valley Academy might still be hurting after the 23-0 defeat they got from Blue Ridge in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Stars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
