Upper Merion Area is 0-10 against Phoenixville since May of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Upper Merion Area Vikings will be staying on the road to face off against the Phoenixville Phantoms at 4:00 p.m. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Upper Merion Area will head into Friday's contest on the come-up: they were handed a ten-run defeat in their previous outing, but they didn't let that bad energy affect their game against Pope John Paul II on Friday. Upper Merion Area skirted past Pope John Paul II 8-6.
Nick Varano was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while going 1-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of David Peck, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Phoenixville narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Upper Perkiomen 7-6.
Tommy Whitesel was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing six innings while giving up five earned runs off five hits. Whitesel has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances. Whitesel was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Chris Mull, who scored two runs while going 4-for-4.
Upper Merion Area's record is now 4-9. As for Phoenixville, the win got them back to even at 6-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Upper Merion Area has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Phoenixville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.4. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Upper Merion Area came up short against Phoenixville when the teams last played on April 12th, falling 7-2. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Whitesel, who pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Now that Upper Merion Area knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
