Pioneers
| 03/18/25 vs New Roads | 6 |
| 03/08/25 vs Golden Valley | 1 |
| 03/01/25 vs Collins Family | 21 |
| 02/28/25 vs Harbor Teacher | 19 |
| 02/26/25 vs St. Genevieve | 11 |
| + 3 more games |
The Providence Pioneers are taking a road trip to square off against the Valley Christian Defenders at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Providence is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.5 runs per game this season.
Things were looking good for Providence after they put the first points on the board on Tuesday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They fell 9-6 to New Roads. The Pioneers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Eric Chuchvara was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. He also hit a double, marking his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Jason Carrillo, who went 1-for-3 with one triple and one run.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Valley Christian, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Tuesday. Everything went their way against Glenn on Tuesday as Valley Christian made off with an 11-1 victory. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Defenders' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Riley Jones tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than two walks any time he's pitched this season.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Quintin Ekstrom, who went 1-for-4 with one home run and four RBI. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Austin Abrahams, who scored three runs while going 2-for-3.
Valley Christian was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Valley Christian's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-7. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Providence, their loss dropped their record down to 4-4.
Providence's speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's game. Providence has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Valley Christian, though, as they've been averaging only 1.2 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Providence continue to outrun the ball?
Providence might still be hurting after the 24-1 defeat they got from Valley Christian in their previous meeting back in March of 2017. Can Providence avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
