The Round Valley Elks will face off against the St. Johns Redskins at 2:00 p.m. on Friday. Round Valley is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.1 runs per game this season.
St. Johns will be up against a hot Round Valley team: the squad just extended their winning streak to three. The Elks came out on top against Benson by a score of 8-3 on Wednesday.
Lane Hill and Brenton Walker made a splash no matter where they played. On the mound, Hill pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Meanwhile, Walker tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Hill has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in seven consecutive appearances. At bat, Hill went 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI, while Walker went a perfect 3-for-3 with two doubles, one triple, and two RBI. That triple marked the first that Walker has hit this season.
In other batting news, JJ Logan was incredible, going 2-for-3 with four stolen bases, two runs, and one double. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in March.
Meanwhile, St. Johns hadn't done well against Mogollon recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. The Redskins walked away with a 4-1 win over the Mustangs. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Redskins.
Brennon Leslie spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on four hits and racked up seven Ks.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Juan Calderon, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one run.
St. Johns was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .414. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .350 or higher in six consecutive matchups.
Round Valley's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 14-7. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.5 runs over those games. As for St. Johns, they now have a winning record of 12-11-1.
Friday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Round Valley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .404. However, it's not like St. Johns struggles in that department as they've averaged .398. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Round Valley came out on top in a nail-biter against St. Johns in their previous meeting back in March, sneaking past 3-1. Do the Elks have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Redskins turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
