The Middleton Vikings will square off against the Skyview Hawks at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Middleton comes in on six and Skyview on four.
Middleton barely beat Meridian the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Middleton's pitcher stepped up to hand Meridian an 11-0 shutout on Tuesday. The Vikings might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three matches by 11 runs or more this season.
Jeremiah Keithley was incredible, firing off two home runs and six RBI while going 3-for-3. Those two home runs gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Cam Lenius, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-4.
Middleton was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .417. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .320 or higher in six consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Skyview). Everything went their way against Caldwell on Thursday as Skyview made off with a 15-5 victory. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded the Hawks with their most commanding win of the season.
Ledger Downs made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed four innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances. He also put up an RBI, which was his first of the season.
In other batting news, Trevan Plew was a standout: he scored three runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-3. Another player making a difference was Henry Downey, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Skyview's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-2-1. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.7 runs over those games. As for Middleton, their win bumped their record up to 6-2.
Skyview's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Middleton hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .361. It's a different story for Skyview, though, as they've only averaged .230. Will they be able to contain Middleton's hitters?
Middleton came up short against Skyview in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, falling 8-4. Can Middleton avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
