The Shenango Wildcats will head out on the road to take on the Mohawk Area Warriors at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Shenango's pitching crew has only allowed 3.7 runs per game this season, so Mohawk Area's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Shenango took a 11-run defeat the last time they faced off against Neshannock, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Wildcats came out on top in a nail-biter against the Lancers on Wednesday, sneaking past 2-1. The game was the first time the Wildcats have beaten the Lancers on their field since May 21, 2021.
Tyler Houk spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on six hits.
At the plate, Shenango's win was truly a team effort as six different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Joey Campoli, who went 1-for-4 with one triple and one run. That triple marked the first that Campoli has hit this season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Mohawk Area). Their pitcher stepped up to hand Sto-Rox a 19-0 shutout on Wednesday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
Vinny Pezzuolo was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one hit in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with one home run.
In other batting news, Cash Stratton and Jackson Peters did most of the damage at the plate: Stratton went a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple, while Peters went a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple. Stratton has become a key player for Mohawk Area: the team is undefeated when he posts at least three RBI, but 4-5 otherwise. Kamren O'Lare was another key player, going 1-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple.
Mohawk Area always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .733. The last time their OBP was this high was back in April of 2024.
Mohawk Area has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 7-5 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Shenango, their record now sits at 9-3.
Shenango might still be hurting after the 7-0 loss they got from Mohawk Area in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Wildcats avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
