The Pine Grove Cardinals will square off against the Mid Valley Spartans on Monday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Pine Grove comes in on ten and Mid Valley on four.
Pine Grove is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past Kutztown 10-8. Pine Grove's victory was all the more impressive since the Cougars were averaging only 3.83 runs allowed on the season.
Jamie Dinger
| 06/05/25 vs Kutztown | 4 |
| 04/22/25 @ Tamaqua | 3 |
| 04/17/25 vs Our Lady of Lourdes Regional | 3 |
| 04/01/25 @ Pottsville | 3 |
| 04/24/25 vs Pottsville | 2 |
Jamie Dinger was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She struck out six batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. Dinger was also solid in the batter's box, going 4-for-5 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Those four hits gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Madison Shiffer was incredible, going 2-for-5 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Tailyn Bohr, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and one RBI.
Nazareth Academy typically has all the answers at home, but on Thursday Mid Valley proved too difficult a challenge. They were the clear victors by a 13-2 margin over Nazareth Academy. Considering the Spartans have won 17 matchups by more than nine runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Pine Grove, Mid Valley also got a great game from a two-way player: Ava Hazelton. On the mound, she pitched five innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. Hazelton was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Mackenzie Adolfson was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Jordan Carroll was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and two RBI.
Mid Valley was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .429. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Nazareth Academy only posted a batting average of .250.
Mid Valley pushed their record up to 22-3-1 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. As for Pine Grove, their win bumped their record up to 25-2.
Monday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Pine Grove hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .374. However, it's not like Mid Valley struggles in that department as they've averaged .389. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Pine Grove beat Mid Valley 10-6 when the teams last played back in June of 2017. Do the Cardinals have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Spartans turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
