Philip Barbour is on an eight-game streak of home wins, while Tygarts Valley is on a six-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Colts will host the Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Philip Barbour 3.8, Tygarts Valley 3.9) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Philip Barbour is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of West Virginia's top teams: Bridgeport, who was ranked sixth at the time (Philip Barbour was ranked 20th). The Colts fell just short of the Indians by a score of 4-3 on Tuesday. The Colts' defeat signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.
Philip Barbour saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Landyn Carpenter, who went 3-for-5 with one stolen base and one RBI.
The home team had won the previous two meetings between Tygarts Valley and Tucker County, and Tygarts Valley kept the tradition alive. The Bulldogs put the hurt on the Mountain Lions with a sharp 14-2 win on Monday. The result was nothing new for the Bulldogs, who have now won 11 games by seven runs or more so far this season.
Kendall Armstrong and Ian Harris were major factors while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Armstrong pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Harris pitched two innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. What's more, he posted four strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April. At bat, Armstrong earned three RBI and one stolen base, while Harris went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double. That double marked the first that Harris has hit this season.
In other batting news, Jacob Wamsley and Jaxon Drennen did most of the damage at the plate: Wamsley went 2-for-3 with one home run and four RBI, while Drennen went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double. That's the most stolen bases Drennen has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Adam Woods, who went 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Tygarts Valley was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .480. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .300 or higher in nine consecutive matches.
Tygarts Valley has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-7 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.2 runs over those games. As for Philip Barbour, their loss dropped their record down to 20-6.
Friday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Philip Barbour has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .433. However, it's not like Tygarts Valley struggles in that department as they've averaged .444. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Philip Barbour skirted past Tygarts Valley 8-6 in their previous meeting back in April of 2023. Do the Colts have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bulldogs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
