The Annville-Cleona Dutchmen will face off against the Northern Lebanon Vikings at 4:15 p.m. on Monday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Annville-Cleona 4, Northern Lebanon 2.5) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Annville-Cleona will bounce into Monday's match after beating Lancaster Catholic, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. The Dutchmen had just enough and edged out the Crusaders 2-1 on Wednesday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Dutchmen.
Noah Morcom made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Meanwhile, Northern Lebanon entered their tilt with Cedar Crest on Friday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They blew past the Falcons 13-7. The Vikings might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight games by six runs or more this season.
Owen Fahringer was excellent, going 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April. Andrew Via was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Northern Lebanon always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .585. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive contests.
Annville-Cleona pushed their record up to 10-7 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Northern Lebanon, their win bumped their record up to 17-2.
Annville-Cleona's speedy runners might be the difference in Monday's match. The Dutchmen have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.8 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Northern Lebanon, though, as they've been averaging only 1.2 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Annville-Cleona continue to outrun the ball? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
