The West Branch Warriors will take on the Northern Cambria Colts at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
West Branch will roll into the game after a wild two-game stretch: they didn't score any runs on Wednesday, then bounced right back against Bucktail on Thursday. The Warriors blew past the Bucks 13-4. The Warriors haven't had any issues with the Bucks recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.
Coby Kephart
| 04/17/25 @ Bucktail | 2 |
| 04/01/25 vs Curwensville | 2 |
| 03/25/25 @ Williamsburg | 2 |
| 04/14/25 vs Moshannon Valley | 1 |
| 03/24/25 vs Huntingdon | 1 |
| + 1 more games |
West Branch let Coby Kephart and Kaleb Warren-Kio run wild. Kephart went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double, while Warren-Kio went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. West Branch is undefeated when Kephart posts two or more runs, but 2-3 otherwise. Logan Liptak was another key player, going 1-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: West Branch kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, while Northern Cambria put up plenty of runs on Thursday, the same can't be said for River Valley. The Colts were the clear victors by a 15-0 margin over the Panthers. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Colts.
The team relied heavily on Shane Gisler, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in doubles (two). Another player making a difference was Zack Cavallo, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and two RBI.
Northern Cambria pushed their record up to 11-1 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for West Branch, their victory bumped their record up to 5-3.
Monday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. West Branch hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .352. However, it's not like Northern Cambria struggles in that department as they've averaged .367. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
West Branch skirted past Northern Cambria 5-4 when the teams last played back in May of 2019. Will the Warriors repeat their success, or do the Colts have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
