The Blue Ridge Yellow Jackets will head out to challenge the Round Valley Elks at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday. Blue Ridge is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.2 runs per game this season.
Blue Ridge is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Snowflake just ended the team's eight-game winning streak on Tuesday. They fell just short of the Lobos by a score of 9-7. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Yellow Jackets have suffered since February 28th.
Brenton Newcomb was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double. Noah Chee was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Round Valley). They blew past Pinon 22-0 on Tuesday. The victory continues a trend for the Elks in their matchups with the Eagles: they've now won nine in a row.
Lane Hill and Brenton Walker were a major factor while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Hill tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Walker pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. At bat, Hill went 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI, while Walker scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. Those four RBI gave Hill a new career-high.
In other batting news, JJ Logan and Jeffery Cochran did most of the damage at the plate: Logan scored four runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances, while Cochran scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2. Logan is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last nine games he's played. Another player making a difference was Eli Pena, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Round Valley's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-3. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.0 runs over those games. As for Blue Ridge, their loss was their first in the region, dropping their region record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 9-4.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Blue Ridge hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .340. However, it's not like Round Valley struggles in that department as they've averaged .365. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Blue Ridge's way against Round Valley in their previous matchup back in March of 2018, as Blue Ridge made off with a 13-3 win. Will the Yellow Jackets repeat their success, or do the Elks have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
