The Virginia City Muckers will head out on the road to challenge the Smith Valley Bulldogs at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Virginia City has given up an average of 9.9 runs per game this season, but Saturday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
On Friday, Virginia City came up short against Portola and fell 13-8. The Muckers have struggled against the Tigers recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost meeting.
Meanwhile, Smith Valley had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 13.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it three last Tuesday. They were the clear victors by a 16-1 margin over the Wolves. Considering the Bulldogs have won three games by more than 12 runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Wyatt Wulfing and Cole Balda made a splash no matter where they played. On the mound, Wulfing pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Balda pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. At the plate, Wulfing went 3-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs, while Balda scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4. That home run was Wulfing's first of the season.
In other batting news, Smith Valley let Gaston Rodriguez and Devin Gleason run wild. Rodriguez scored four runs and stole three bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances, while Gleason scored two runs and stole three bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. With that strong performance, Rodriguez is now averaging an impressive 2.2 runs per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Luke Lannom, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Smith Valley was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .560. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .485 or higher in three consecutive matches.
Smith Valley pushed their record up to 3-1 with the victory, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.1 runs over those games. As for Virginia City, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-7.
Virginia City might still be hurting after the 14-0 loss they got from Smith Valley when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Can Virginia City avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
