The Frontier Regional Red Hawks will challenge the Pioneer Valley Regional Panthers at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Frontier Regional barely beat Ludlow the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Red Hawks put the hurt on the Lions with a sharp 8-2 win on Monday. That's two games straight that the Red Hawks have won by exactly six runs.
Max Skribiski-Banack spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on four hits.
At the plate, Frontier Regional got a massive performance out of Henry Drinker, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI, two doubles, and one run. That's the most hits Drinker has posted since back in March. Braiden Dion was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double.
Frontier Regional was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Pioneer Valley Regional strolled into their game on Monday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They blew past Monson 9-1.
Pioneer Valley Regional also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and he was also dialed-in: Evan Tsipenyuk gave up only one earned run on three hits. Tsipenyuk has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Ethan Mauthe, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple. He continues to improve, besting his previous run total in each of the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Ben Werner, who went 2-for-3 with three stolen bases and three RBI.
Pioneer Valley Regional's victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 10-0. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.8 runs over those games. As for Frontier Regional, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 8-5.
Frontier Regional couldn't quite get it done against Pioneer Valley Regional when the teams last played on April 10th as they fell 5-2. Will the Red Hawks have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
