The Smith Valley Bulldogs will square off against the Virginia City Muckers at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. One thing working in Smith Valley's favor is that they have posted at least ten runs in their last three matches.
In Tuesday's Canine Competition, Smith Valley came out on top. They were the clear victors by a 16-1 margin over Coleville last Tuesday. That 15 run margin sets a new team best for the Bulldogs this season.
Wyatt Wulfing and Cole Balda were a major factor no matter where they played. Throwing, Wulfing pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Balda tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. At bat, Wulfing went 3-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs, while Balda scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4. That home run marked the first that Wulfing launched this season.
Gaston Rodriguez
| 03/18/25 vs Coleville | 4 |
| 03/14/25 @ Pyramid Lake | 3 |
| 03/14/25 vs Pyramid Lake | 2 |
| 03/11/25 @ Dayton | 0 |
In other batting news, Gaston Rodriguez and Devin Gleason did most of the damage at the plate: Rodriguez scored four runs and stole three bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances, while Gleason scored two runs and stole three bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Rodriguez continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Luke Lannom, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Smith Valley always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .667. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .585 or higher in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Virginia City came up short against Portola on Friday and fell 13-8. The Muckers haven't had much luck with the Tigers recently, as the team has come up short the last four times they've met.
Smith Valley's win was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 3-1. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games. As for Virginia City, their loss dropped their record down to 2-7.
Smith Valley took their win against Virginia City in their previous matchup back in March of 2024 by a conclusive 14-0. Will Smith Valley repeat their success, or does Virginia City has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
