Clear Fork is on a three-game streak of home wins, while River Valley is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Colts will host the Vikings at 5:15 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Clear Fork had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the six-run drubbing they dealt Upper Sandusky on Wednesday. The Colts blew past the Rams 8-2. The Colts might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight matchups by six runs or more this season.
Miley Shafer spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on six hits.
At the plate, Hailly Thrush was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and one stolen base. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Jada Brokaw, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs.
Meanwhile, while River Valley put up plenty of runs on Thursday, the same can't be said for East. The Vikings were the clear victors by a 15-0 margin over the Tigers.
Sidney Street made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one run, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Samantha Woods was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and two RBI. Olivia Collins was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with four RBI, one triple, and one run.
River Valley always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .706. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
River Valley has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven games. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.4 runs on average over those games. As for Clear Fork, their win bumped their record up to 14-9.
Clear Fork's speedy runners might be the difference in Friday's contest. The Colts have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.3 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for River Valley, though, as they've been averaging only 1 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Clear Fork continue to outrun the ball?
Clear Fork was able to grind out a solid victory over River Valley in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, winning 5-1. Do the Colts have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Vikings turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
