Smoky Valley is 2-8 against Halstead since May of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit in Tuesday's first game. The Smoky Valley Vikings will look to defend their home field against the Halstead Dragons at 3:00 p.m.
Last Friday, Smoky Valley fell victim to a tough 13-2 defeat at the hands of Lyons. Smoky Valley has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Meanwhile, Halstead never let their opponents score in Friday's second game. They were the clear victor by an 11-0 margin over Hillsboro. The win made it back-to-back victories for Halstead.
Halstead got a great performance from Kaden Eskins as he didn't allow a single earned run and only two hits while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Eskins has been consistent recently: he hasn't pitched less than five innings in three consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Jase Mueller was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Tucker Devine was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Smoky Valley's loss dropped their record down to 1-3. As for Halstead, their victory bumped their record up to 2-6.
Smoky Valley beat Halstead 4-1 in their previous meeting back in April of 2023. Will Smoky Valley repeat their success, or does Halstead have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
