The Cedar Valley Aviators will be playing at home against the Salem Hills Skyhawks at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Cedar Valley has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the contest with three straight losses, while Salem Hills will come in with three straight victories.
On Thursday, Cedar Valley came up short against Springville and fell 8-5.
Cedar Valley got a good showing from Holden Rich, who tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (he also didn't allow any walks).
At the plate, Cedar Valley saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Landon Johnson, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3. Brodyn Mortensen was another key contributor, going 2-for-3 with a stolen base and an RBI.
Meanwhile, Salem Hills scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Thursday. Everything went their way against Wasatch as Salem Hills made off with a 16-8 win. Salem Hills might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won four matches by six runs or more this season.
Corbin Gull was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also didn't allow any walks). Gull has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances. Gull was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two runs, a triple, and two RBI.
In other pitching news, Trig Richards looked comfortable as he pitched 2.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (he also didn't allow any walks).
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Mason Ward, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with a home run, three runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Alex Cloward, who scored two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Cedar Valley now has a losing record at 6-7. As for Salem Hills, their victory bumped their record up to 8-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Cedar Valley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Salem Hills struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.2. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Cedar Valley suffered a grim 14-2 defeat to Salem Hills in their previous matchup back in March of 2023. Can Cedar Valley avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
