Marian Catholic is 0-8 against Williams Valley since April of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. Marian Catholic will head out on the road to square off against the Williams Valley Vikings at 4:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Marian Catholic's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. Everything went their way against Mahanoy Area as Marian Catholic made off with a 15-0 victory. The high-scoring effort was just what Marian Catholic needed considering they were shutout in their previous match.
DeAnna Pugh and Emily Upanavage did most of the damage at the plate: Pugh scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of her five plate appearances, while Upanavage scored three runs and stole a base while going 4-for-4. Another player making a difference was Zoe Katona, who went 1-for-1 with a triple, a stolen base, and a run.
Meanwhile, Williams Valley had already won six in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.3 runs), and they went ahead and made it seven on Sunday. They were the clear victor by a 12-0 margin over the Battlin' Miners. Give Williams Valley's pitching crew some credit: that's the team's third straight shutout.
Sage Smeltz was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and only one hit over five innings pitched. Smeltz has been consistent recently: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in five consecutive pitching appearances. Smeltz was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with three RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Audrina Fry, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with a home run, three runs, and two RBI. Sophia Mione was another key contributor, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, a triple, and a run.
Marian Catholic's record now sits at 6-4. As for Williams Valley, they pushed their record up to 10-2 with that win, which was their fourth straight on the road.
Monday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Marian Catholic has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .474. However, it's not like Williams Valley struggles in that department as they've averaged .491. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Marian Catholic came up short against Williams Valley in their previous matchup back in April of 2023, falling 6-1. Can Marian Catholic avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
