The Happy Valley Warriors will venture away from home to square off against the Cosby Eagles at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
On Thursday, Happy Valley got the win against Cloudland by a conclusive 20-1. The Warriors haven't had any issues with the Highlanders recently, as the game was their ninth consecutive victory against them.
Brody Wagner
| 03/27/26 vs Unaka | 6 |
| 02/17/26 @ Cherokee | 5 |
| 04/03/26 @ Gatlinburg-Pittman | 3 |
| 03/20/26 vs Tri-Cities Christian | 1 |
Brody Wagner made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has become a key player for Happy Valley: the team is 2-1 when he allows at most one hit, but 6-10 otherwise. Wagner was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 1-for-1 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Aiden Hartsook and Lane Parker did most of the damage at the plate: Hartsook went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI, while Parker went 1-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. That's the most hits Hartsook has posted since back in March. Michael Hampton was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Happy Valley always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .649. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Cosby fought the good fight in their extra-innings matchup against Cumberland Gap on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Panthers by a score of 12-10.
Like Happy Valley, Cosby also got a great game from a two-way player: Cam Brannon. He struck out nine batters over 5.1 innings while giving up five earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. Brannon was also big at the plate, getting on base in five of his six plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
Cosby has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost ten of their last 12 games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 5-14 record this season. As for Happy Valley, their record now sits at 8-11.
Everything went Happy Valley's way against Cosby in their previous matchup last Thursday, as Happy Valley made off with a 15-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Warriors since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
