The Mt. Shasta Bears will take on the West Valley Eagles in a tournament on Tuesday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Friday, Mt. Shasta beat Fall River 6-1. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Bears.
SETH SMITH
| 04/11/25 @ Fall River | 2 |
| 04/11/25 @ Fall River | 1 |
| 04/04/25 vs Weed | 1 |
| 03/24/25 @ Yreka | 1 |
| 03/21/25 vs Del Norte | 1 |
SETH SMITH was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Mt. Shasta is 2-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 5-6 otherwise. SMITH was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. Those two runs gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Hayden Porteous, who went 1-for-4 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run. Nick Mangrum was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, West Valley had already won seven in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.6 runs) and they went ahead and made it eight on Friday. They put the hurt on the Falcons with a sharp 17-0 win. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since March 26, 2024, but that streak is no more.
Trent Nehls looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out nine over four innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Degan Palos was a standout: he scored four runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-4. He also put up a triple, which was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Mason Mcfadden, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
West Valley kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.6 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 matchups they've averaged 11.4.
West Valley pushed their record up to 10-3 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Mt. Shasta, the victory got them back to even at 7-7.
Mt. Shasta couldn't quite get it done against West Valley when the teams last played back in March of 2020 as they fell 7-3. Can the Bears avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
