Penquis Valley hasn't had much luck against Penobscot Valley recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Patriots will welcome the Howlers at 4:00 p.m. After the two teams made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Monday.
Penquis Valley's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They blew past Greenville 19-0. With that win, the Patriots brought their scoring average up to 7.2 runs per game.
Makayla Cook was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Cook was even better at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and one stolen base. Those RBI were her first of the season.
In other batting news, Kalea Gahagan was a standout: she got on base in three of her four plate appearances with five stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. Those RBI marked the first that she has brought in this season. Brooklyn Decker was another key player, going 2-for-3 with four stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI.
Penquis Valley always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .800. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Penobscot Valley put their dominant pitcher on display in the team's fourth consecutive shutout on Friday. Everything went their way against Deer Isle-Stonington as they made off with a 19-0 victory. Fans of the Howlers have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 6+ runs.
Charlotte Dube made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Dube was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Those two RBI gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Penobscot Valley got a massive performance out of Shay Ireland, who went 2-for-3 with six RBI, one run, and one double. Those six RBI gave Ireland a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Lauren Veino, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs and three RBI.
Penobscot Valley pushed their record up to 4-0 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.0 runs on average this season. As for Penquis Valley, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-4.
Both Penquis Valley and Penobscot Valley just can't seem to miss. The Patriots have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.8 hits per game. However, it's not like Penobscot Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 1.5 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Penquis Valley might still be hurting after the 19-2 defeat they got from Penobscot Valley when the teams last played back in May of 2023. Will the Patriots have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
