The Belle Vernon Leopards will take on the Yough Cougars at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Belle Vernon has four straight victories, Yough has four straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Tuesday, Belle Vernon got the win against Albert Gallatin by a conclusive 11-1. The Leopards might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten matchups by six runs or more this season.
Zach Plymire made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out six batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. Plymire was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three RBI, one triple, and one stolen base. That triple was his first of the season.
In other batting news, Connor Bergman was excellent, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Chace Petrosky was another key player, going 2-for-3 with three runs.
Belle Vernon was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .423. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .344 or higher in five consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Yough came up short against Freeport on Tuesday and fell 8-4.
Like Belle Vernon, Yough also got a great game from a two-way player: John Steban. He didn't allow a single hit and allowed only one earned run over 4.2 innings pitched. Steban has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one hit in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one RBI.
In other batting news, Tyler Burkett made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs and one triple. He is becoming a predictor of Yough's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 5-1 (and 5-6 when he doesn't).
Yough's defeat dropped their record down to 10-7. As for Belle Vernon, their win bumped their record up to 13-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Belle Vernon has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Yough struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Belle Vernon got the 'W' when the teams last played back in May of 2025 against Yough by a conclusive 10-0 score. Do the Leopards have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Cougars turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
