Old Forge hasn't had much luck against Mid Valley recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Blue Devils will head out on the road to face off against the Spartans at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
On Tuesday, Old Forge got the win against Riverside by a conclusive 11-1.
Kamryn Notari was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one home run. That home run marked the first that she has launched this season.
In other batting news, Kate O'Hearn and Joselyn DeStefano did most of the damage at the plate: O'Hearn went a perfect 2-for-2 with four RBI and one run, while DeStefano went 2-for-4 with one home run, two RBI, and one double. That's the most RBI O'Hearn has posted since back in May of 2024. Kaylee Kimmel also deserves some recognition as she scored her first run of the season.
Old Forge always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .586. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Mid Valley never got on the board in their matchup on Saturday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Honesdale on Tuesday. They never let the Hornets get on the board and left with an 11-0 win. The Spartans haven't had any issues with the Hornets recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive victory against them.
Elise Larson was a standout: she went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Parker Bennett, who went 1-for-2 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Mid Valley's win was their ninth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-1-1. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.6 runs over those games. As for Old Forge, their record now sits at 5-6.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Old Forge hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Mid Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.9 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Old Forge came up short against Mid Valley in their previous meeting on April 3rd, falling 6-1. Can the Blue Devils avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
