Minisink Valley is 0-6 against Monroe-Woodbury since April of 2015 but things could change on Wednesday. The Warriors will be playing in front of their home fans against the Crusaders at 4:15 p.m. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Minisink Valley took a loss when they played away from home on Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They blew past Chester 11-2. The Warriors have beaten the Hambletonians the last four times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Hambletonians has come to flipping the script.
Christopher McCauley made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out eight batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. McCauley was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one double.
In other pitching news, Nicholas Parco looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
Back at the plate, Dylan Acevedo was incredible, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double. Nick Sommella was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
Minisink Valley always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .525. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Monroe-Woodbury had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 4 runs) and they went ahead and made it four on Tuesday. They never let the Raiders get on the board and left with a 20-0 win. The Crusaders might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four matchups by eight runs or more this season.
Like Minisink Valley, Monroe-Woodbury also got a great game from a two-way player: Michael Monda. He pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Monda was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
In other pitching news, Nicholas Filonow looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits any time he's pitched this season.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Liam Hayes, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Max Post, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Monroe-Woodbury's victory was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-1. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.9 runs on average over those games. As for Minisink Valley, their victory bumped their record up to 2-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Minisink Valley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Monroe-Woodbury struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
