The Valhalla Norsemen will take on the West Hills Wolf Pack in a tournament on Wednesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Valhalla has three straight victories, West Hills has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Valhalla's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Monday. They were the clear victor by a 7-0 margin over Monte Vista. The matchup marked the Norsemen's most dominant win of the season so far.
Not much got past Jesse McCormick, who gave up just five hits to keep Monte Vista off the board. McCormick has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Mace Wheeler, who scored two runs and stole Two bases. while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in May of 2024. Josh Rivera was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing Two bases. while going 1-for-5.
Valhalla was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .375. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Monte Vista only posted a batting average of .192.
Meanwhile, West Hills fought the good fight in their extra-innings contest against Christian on Monday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Patriots by a score of 8-7. One positive for the Wolf Pack, at least, is that this was the most points they've scored all season.
Carson-Kai Lewis put in work no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing three innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. Lewis was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 3-for-5.
In other batting news, Joey Monetti made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
Valhalla's victory bumped their record up to 3-1. As for West Hills, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-3.
Valhalla's speedy runners might be the difference in Wednesday's game. Valhalla has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for West Hills, though, as they've been averaging only 0.5 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Valhalla continue to outrun the ball?
Everything went Valhalla's way against West Hills in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, as Valhalla made off with a 17-7 win. Will Valhalla repeat their success, or does West Hills have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
