The Tug Valley Panthers will head out to take on the Mingo Central Miners at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.
Tug Valley was handed a heart-breaking two-run loss in their last game, but they sure didn't let that happen against WestSide on Wednesday. The Panthers' pitcher stepped up to hand the Renegades an 8-0 shutout. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five matches by seven runs or more this season.
Not much got past Austin Smith, who gave up just four hits to keep WestSide off the board. Smith has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk in eight consecutive appearances.
Gavin Fitzpatrick
| 03/19/25 @ Tri-State HomeSchool | 4 |
| 04/23/25 @ WestSide | 2 |
| 04/17/25 vs Van | 2 |
| 04/17/25 vs Van | 2 |
| 04/22/25 vs Mingo Central | 1 |
| + 1 more games |
At the plate, Gavin Fitzpatrick was incredible, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Tug Valley's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 3-9 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Elijah Fluty, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Mingo Central got the win against Phelps on Thursday by a conclusive 15-3.
Dylan Vance was a major factor no matter where he played. He struck out ten batters over five innings while giving up three earned runs off only two hits. Vance was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with one triple and two RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March of 2024.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Aaron Blankenship, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, six RBI, and two stolen bases. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Dylan Fields also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Mingo Central always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .613. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Mingo Central is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 4-9 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.4 runs over those games. As for Tug Valley, their record now sits at 7-9.
Tug Valley couldn't quite finish off Mingo Central in their previous matchup on Tuesday and fell 3-1. Can the Panthers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
