The Round Valley Elks will head out on the road to challenge the Santa Cruz Valley Dust Devils at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Round Valley took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Greyhills Academy an 18-0 shutout. The contest marked the Elks' most dominant victory of the season so far.
JJ Logan and Cason Finch made a big impact no matter where they played. Throwing, Logan pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Finch struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one hit any time he's pitched this season. At bat, Logan scored three runs and stole Two bases. while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances, while Finch scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-3. Logan also put up a triple, which was his first of the season.
In other batting news, Brody Crick and Jeffery Cochran did most of the damage at the plate: Crick went 3-for-4 with one home run, two stolen bases, and three runs, while Cochran scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3. That's the most hits Crick has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Cash Hamblin, who scored two runs while going 1-for-2.
Round Valley was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .750. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .300 or higher in three consecutive matches.
Santa Cruz Valley not only won on Monday, but they posted their biggest win since April 11, 2024. They blew past San Miguel 13-2. The Dust Devils' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Round Valley now has a winning record of 3-2. As for Santa Cruz Valley, their win ended a three-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 4-3.
Round Valley took their victory against Santa Cruz Valley when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 10-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Round Valley since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
