The Valley Central Vikings will venture away from home to challenge the Washingtonville Wizards at 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday.
Valley Central lost 17-7 to Wallkill on Tuesday. The Vikings have struggled against the Panthers recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost meeting.
Nicholas Strobach and Darren Russo did some serious damage despite the final result: Strobach went a perfect 1-for-1 with two runs and one double, while Russo went 2-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double. That double was Strobach's first of the season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Washingtonville). They never let Monticello get on the board and left with a 20-0 victory on Tuesday. The win was some much needed relief for the Wizards as it spelled an end to their four-game losing streak.
Connor Beyer was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Washingtonville is 4-2 when he allows at most one earned run, but 3-7 otherwise. Beyer was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in two of his three plate appearances with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, Bryce Tesseyman was a standout: he got on base in all three of his plate appearances with three runs, four RBI, and one stolen base. He has become a key player for Washingtonville: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least three RBI, but 5-8 otherwise. Ben O'Keefe was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs and four RBI.
Washingtonville always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .725. The last time their OBP was this high was was before the start of last season.
Valley Central now has a losing record of 8-9. As for Washingtonville, their record is now 7-9.
Valley Central suffered a grim 11-2 defeat to Washingtonville when the teams last played back in April. Can the Vikings avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
