Wayne Valley had to endure a six-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. Everything went their way against the Columbia Cougars on Saturday as the Wayne Valley Indians made off with a 9-3 victory. That result was just more of the same for these two, as Wayne Valley also won the last time the pair played back in May of 2023.
Brandon Van Peenen spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on five hits and racked up six Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Jacob Gonzalez, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. Nick Cavagnaro was another key contributor, going 1-for-3 with two RBI.
On Columbia's side, Reno Spagnoli put in work while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single hit while striking out nine over 4.1 innings pitched. Spagnoli was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with a home run and two RBI.
In other pitching news, Columbia got a good showing from Adam Carlucci, who tossed 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits.
Spagnoli wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Nolan Secor, who went 1-for-1 with a stolen base and an RBI.
Even though they lost, Columbia didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with 12 strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Wayne Valley only tossed six.
Wayne Valley's win ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 11-13. As for Columbia, they have been struggling recently as they've lost 11 of their last 12 matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 10-14-1 record this season.
Wayne Valley is on the road again on Tuesday to play Mahwah at 4:15 p.m. As for Columbia, they will square off against Union at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Columbia is facing Union at the right time seeing as Union is stuck on a five-game losing streak.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
