The Van Bulldogs will head out on the road to face off against the Mingo Central Miners at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Van has given up an average of 12.8 runs per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Mount View hit Van with a five-run third inning on Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Bulldogs lost 11-1 to the Golden Knights. The Bulldogs just can't catch a break and have now endured three defeats in a row.
Van saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Easton Moore, who went 1-for-2 with three stolen bases and one run.
Meanwhile, while Mingo Central put up plenty of runs on Thursday, the same can't be said for Tolsia. The Miners blew past the Rebels 13-0. The Miners haven't had any issues with the Rebels recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive victory against them.
Dylan Vance was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out seven over six innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Mingo Central is 4-2 when he allows at most three earned runs, but 3-11 otherwise. Vance was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Mingo Central let Corey Mahon and Aaron Blankenship run wild. Mahon got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI, while Blankenship went 1-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Those three runs gave Mahon a new career-high. Noah Newsome also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Mingo Central always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .553. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Tolsia only posted an OBP of .227.
Mingo Central's record now sits at 7-13. As for Van, their loss dropped their record down to 2-20.
Van couldn't quite get it done against Mingo Central in their previous meeting back in May of 2024 as they fell 7-4. Can the Bulldogs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
