The Pioneer Valley Regional Panthers will head out to take on the Turners Falls Thunder at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Pioneer Valley Regional is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.
Pioneer Valley Regional lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Hampshire Regional, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Wednesday's match. The Panthers put the hurt on the Raiders with a sharp 12-2 victory on Wednesday. Considering the Panthers have won five contests by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Alex McClelland
| 04/23/25 @ Hampshire Regional | 2 |
| 04/16/25 @ Hopkins Academy | 2 |
| 04/14/25 vs Palmer | 3 |
| 04/11/25 vs Oxford | 1 |
| 04/10/25 vs Frontier Regional | 1 |
Alex McClelland was incredible, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, four RBI, and two runs. He has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last five times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Ethan Quinn, who went 3-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Meanwhile, Turners Falls beat Smith Academy 8-5 on Thursday. The Thunder haven't had any issues with the Falcons recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.
Julian Kaiser made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out ten over seven innings pitched. Kaiser was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs.
In other batting news, Turners Falls let Jackson Cogswell and Trevor Lyons run wild. Cogswell went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI, while Lyons got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one RBI. Ledwin Villafana also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Turners Falls always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .541. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Smith Academy only posted an OBP of .312.
Pioneer Valley Regional's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-0. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.3 runs over those games. As for Turners Falls, they now have a winning record of 4-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Pioneer Valley Regional has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Turners Falls struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 5.1 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Pioneer Valley Regional was able to grind out a solid victory over Turners Falls in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, winning 5-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
