The Central Cambria Red Devils will challenge the Huntingdon Bearcats at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Central Cambria comes in on five and Huntingdon on three.
Central Cambria proved they can win big on Thursday (they won by ten) and on Friday they proved they can win the close ones too. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Penns Valley Area 3-2.
Aubrey Ruddek spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on seven hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Keira Link, who went 1-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Huntingdon). They were the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over Penn Cambria on Friday. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded the Bearcats with their most commanding win of the season.
Alivia Nicklow made a splash no matter where she played. She struck out 11 batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and only one walk). Nicklow was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one RBI.
In other batting news, Julia Foster was a standout: she went 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. Those two runs gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Izzy Kazmarski, who went 1-for-3 with one home run.
Huntingdon always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .562. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Huntingdon's victory was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 10-5. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Central Cambria, their victory bumped their record up to 11-3.
Huntingdon's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Central Cambria hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .338. It's a different story for Huntingdon, though, as they've only averaged .244. Will they be able to contain Central Cambria's hitters?
Central Cambria skirted past Huntingdon 12-11 when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Do the Red Devils have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bearcats turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
