vs
| 04/09/24 - Home | 5-2 W |
| 03/24/23 - Away | 9-2 W |
| 04/18/22 - Home | 14-7 W |
| 04/13/19 - Away | 10-0 W |
| 04/07/18 - Away | 15-0 W |
| 04/10/17 - Home | 11-1 W |
Nazareth Area has gone a perfect 6-0 against Pleasant Valley recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Blue Eagles will square off against the Bears at 4:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Nazareth Area's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by a 17-0 margin over William Allen. The win continues a trend for the Blue Eagles in their matchups with the Canaries: they've now won five in a row.
Alina Weaver made a splash while hitting and pitching. She struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and not a single walk). Weaver was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run and four RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Avery Dailey, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-2. Those stolen bases marked the first that she snagged this season. Avery Kauffman was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.
Nazareth Area was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .529. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .300 or higher every time they've taken the field this season.
Meanwhile, Pleasant Valley made easy work of Pocono Mountain West on Tuesday and carried off a 13-3 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Bears.
Like Nazareth Area, Pleasant Valley also got a great game from a two-way player: Kailyn Getz. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over 3.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (and only one walk). Getz was also big at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. That's the most runs she has posted since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, Brianca Pridham was incredible, going 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Jovie Valenzuela, who scored two runs while going 1-for-2.
Nazareth Area pushed their record up to 5-1 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.9 runs on average over those games. As for Pleasant Valley, their record now sits at 5-3.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Nazareth Area hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .429. However, it's not like Pleasant Valley struggles in that department as they've averaged .393. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Nazareth Area was able to grind out a solid win over Pleasant Valley in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, winning 5-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Blue Eagles since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
