Pequea Valley is 1-9 against Lancaster Catholic since April of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Pequea Valley Braves are on the road again to play the Lancaster Catholic Crusaders at 4:15 p.m. Pequea Valley's pitching crew has only allowed 3.9 runs per game this season, so Lancaster Catholic's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
After only two runs in their last contest, Pequea Valley made sure to put some runs up on the board against Columbia on Thursday. Pequea Valley put the hurt on Columbia with a sharp 10-1 victory. The result was nothing new for Pequea Valley, who have now won three matches by nine runs or more so far this season.
Myles Furlong and Dominick Burrell made a splash no matter where they played. On the mound, Furlong struck out seven batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Meanwhile, Burrell pitched an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also didn't allow any walks). At the plate, Furlong scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-4, while Burrell scored a run while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jayden Stoltzfus, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, a triple, and a run. Elijah Smucker was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Lancaster Catholic ultimately got the result they hoped for on Wednesday. They won by a run and slipped past Columbia 4-3. The win was familiar territory for Lancaster Catholic who now have three in a row.
Lancaster Catholic let Drew Walker and Dylan Banzhof loose on the outfield. Walker went 1-for-4 with a home run, while Banzhof went 1-for-4 with a home run.
The victory got Pequea Valley back to even at 4-4. As for Lancaster Catholic, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Pequea Valley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Lancaster Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.6. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Pequea Valley might still be hurting after the 7-0 defeat they got from Lancaster Catholic when the teams last played back in May of 2023. Can Pequea Valley avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
