The Valley Falls Dragons will head out on the road to take on the Jefferson West Tigers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Valley Falls sitting on four straight wins and Jefferson West on 15.
Nine must be Valley Falls' lucky number: they beat Oskaloosa with that score not once but twice on Monday. The Dragons beat the Bears by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 9-8.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Jefferson West). They put the hurt on Silver Lake with a sharp 19-2 victory on Thursday. The result was nothing new for the Tigers, who have now won seven matchups by six runs or more so far this season.
Corbin Mayer was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed five innings while giving up just two earned runs off eight hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one walk in five consecutive appearances. He was even better at the plate, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with four runs, two stolen bases, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Andrew Beilman was a standout: he went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run and eight RBI. That home run was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Cooper Watkins, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with three runs, three RBI, and one triple.
Jefferson West was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .593. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .333 or higher in eight consecutive games.
Jefferson West's win was their seventh straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 15-0. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.7 runs over those games. As for Valley Falls, their record is now 15-2.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Valley Falls hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .402. However, it's not like Jefferson West struggles in that department as they've averaged .366. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
