The Williamsburg Blue Pirates are taking a road trip to square off against the Curwensville Golden Tide at 4:30 p.m. on Monday.
Juniata Valley hit Williamsburg with a eight-run first inning on Thursday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Blue Pirates lost 11-1 to the Hornets. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Blue Pirates have suffered against the Hornets since March 30, 2021.
Konner Harker was cooking despite his team's loss, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with two stolen bases.
Meanwhile, Curwensville entered their tilt with Glendale on Wednesday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They came out on top against the Vikings by a score of 7-3. The game snapped a strange streak: the last five times these teams have met, it?s been the away team that?s taken home the W.
Andrew Pentz made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched 4.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off one hit. He is becoming a predictor of Curwensville's success: when he allows at most one hit the team is 3-1 (and 5-8 when he doesn't). Pentz was also big at the plate, getting on base in two of his four plate appearances with three stolen bases and two runs. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, Cael Butler was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. Curwensville is 3-1 when Butler posts two or more stolen bases, but 5-8 otherwise.
Curwensville hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They are 2-1 when they post two or more strikeouts.
This is the second loss in a row for Williamsburg and nudges their season record down to 10-8. As for Curwensville, their record now sits at 8-9.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Williamsburg has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Curwensville struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.1 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Williamsburg might still be hurting after the 14-1 loss they got from Curwensville in their previous meeting on Tuesday. Can the Blue Pirates avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
