The Cranberry Area Berries will square off against the Redbank Valley Bulldogs at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday. The timing isn't great for Cranberry Area: they have been struggling with five straight losses at home dating back to last season, while Redbank Valley has snatched up three consecutive wins on the road.
Monday just wasn't the day for Cranberry Area's offense. They took a 3-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of DuBois Central Catholic on Monday. The game marked the first time this year in which the Berries were not able to get on the board.
Cranberry Area saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Connor Morrow, who went 1-for-3 with one double.
Meanwhile, Redbank Valley made easy work of Johnsonburg on Monday and carried off a 9-3 victory. The Bulldogs haven't had any issues with the Rams recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.
The team relied heavily on Braylon Wagner, who went a perfect 5-for-5 with two stolen bases, four RBI, and two runs. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in May of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Drew Byers, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Redbank Valley kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. They are 2-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
The victory got Redbank Valley back to even at 5-5. As for Cranberry Area, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Cranberry Area has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Redbank Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Cranberry Area might still be hurting after the 11-1 loss they got from Redbank Valley when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Will the Berries have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
