vs
| 04/16/24 - Home | 8-1 W |
| 04/15/24 - Away | 7-2 W |
| 04/18/23 - Away | 9-4 W |
| 04/17/23 - Home | 11-1 W |
| 04/02/22 - Home | 5-2 W |
| 03/31/21 - Home | 13-2 W |
Montour is a perfect 6-0 against Hopewell since March of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Spartans will square off against the Vikings at 4:00 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Wednesday, Montour earned a 4-1 win over Gateway. That's two games straight that the Spartans have won by exactly three runs.
Olliver Wovchko looked comfortable as he struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and not a single walk). He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Montour saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Caleb Armbruster, who went 1-for-2 with two RBI and one double. Zachary Ciamacco also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Hopewell). They came out on top against North Catholic by a score of 8-4 on Tuesday.
Kingston Krotec made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He pitched 6.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off nine hits. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Hopewell is 2-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 0-6 otherwise. Krotec was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double.
In other batting news, Collin Davis was excellent, scoring a run while going 1-for-4. Another player making a difference was Jacob Knobloch, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.
The victory made it two in a row for Montour and bumps their season record up to 3-6. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 1 runs in those games. As for Hopewell, their record now sits at 2-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Montour has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Hopewell struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Montour took their victory against Hopewell in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 8-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Spartans since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
