Valley View sweeps S&S
Apr. 22—It took a couple innings for Valley View's bats to warm up Friday night, but they didn't stop once they got going.
The Eagle baseball team defeated S&S Consolidated 15-5 in five innings in Valley View, finishing the series sweep after winning in Sadler three days prior.
Valley View (12-12 overall, 4-8 District 10-3A) has won three of its past four games.
S&S (1-21, 0-12) clinches eighth place with this defeat.
Valley View coach Cameron Mavroulis said the Eagles played harder in this game than they have in a while.
"They had a lead on us early, but we didn't give up," Mavroulis said. "We fought back, which was great to see out of those kids. They're tough. That's all you can really ask for."
The Rams took a 4-1 lead in the top of the third inning with one hit, two errors and a wild pitch. They scored more runs in this inning than they had in the entire first game with Valley View, a 13-2 Eagles win.
The lead didn't last. After managing one unearned run the first time through the lineup, Valley View scored five runs in the bottom of the third to retake the lead for good. Wyatt Huber hit an RBI triple to score Johnny Nelson. The next six hitters reached base via three walks and three hit batsmen.
Huber said giving up those runs to S&S woke the Eagles up a bit, but they didn't panic. Once they got going offensively, the momentum carried them through the game.
"We were just building off of success," Huber said. "One person gets a hit, the next person goes up there knowing they can do it."
S&S got out of the inning after making a pitching change, but Valley View kept the offense going in the fourth with three runs on three hits. The Rams scratched a run across in the top of the fifth, but Valley View scored six in the bottom half without an out to trigger the run rule. Wyatt Isbell hit a two-RBI single, and Drake Whetzel hit a three-RBI triple. Tyler Isbell followed with a walk-off RBI single.
Whetzel finished 1-for-2 with four RBIs and two runs. Huber hit 2-for-2 with an RBI and four runs.
After going 5-17-1 last year, the Eagles enter the final week of the season with a chance to finish with a winning record. Although they won't be in the playoffs, the Eagles won a district game against playoff-bound Paradise as well as likely playoff team Pilot Point. If Valley View wins either of its two remaining games, both against Callisburg, the Eagles will finish with more district wins than last season.
Mavroulis said the Eagles have played with more maturity this season.
"These eight seniors that we have, I mean, they're putting the team on their back," Mavroulis said. "They show up every day, and the closeness of those guys is huge. Just the ability to know, 'Hey, we have to work. We have to work.' I think that's showing in the games as well as anything else."
