With a playoff win on the line, Wilkes-Barre rose to the challenge on Tuesday. They won by a run and slipped past the Wyoming Valley West Spartans 5-4. That's the third time they've managed to beat them this season, with their most recent win being a 3-0 victory back in April.
James Bottger was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over six innings while giving up four earned runs off three hits. Bottger was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one home run, two stolen bases, and two runs. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March.
Jake Howe
| 05/20/25 vs Wyoming Valley West | 2 |
| 05/05/25 vs Berwick | 1 |
| 04/16/24 @ Tunkhannock | 1 |
| 03/18/24 vs Pottsville | 1 |
In other batting news, Jake Howe was excellent, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Nathan Fritz, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and two RBI.
Wilkes-Barre pushed their record up to 13-8 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Wyoming Valley West, they have been struggling recently as they've lost ten of their last 12 matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 8-13 record this season.
Wilkes-Barre has already played their next contest, a 9-3 win against Williamsport on the 23rd. Wyoming Valley West does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
