NOTE: This was written and published prior to the postponement of this game which will be made up as part of a doubleheader on May 11th
When Pymatuning Valley travels to St. John on Monday evening, the stakes couldn’t be clearer. The two teams enter the week as the only undefeated clubs in the NAC Stars division, and with divisional games carrying all of the standings weight — non-divisional matchups, even against fellow NAC members, have no bearing on the conference race — this one figures to go a long way toward determining who controls their own destiny in the Stars division. The current standings show PV at 3-0 in division play and St. John at 2-0, with every game from here on helping to determine a NAC Championship.
PV comes into the matchup having navigated a brutal recent stretch. Back-to-back losses to Perry and Cardinal Mooney, both ranked in the Top 125 in the state of Ohio by MaxPreps, would test any team. The Lady Lakers responded both times with fight, but the losses serve as a reminder of the level of competition they have been willing to schedule. St. John carries their own adversity into Monday, having dropped a game to Maplewood — the dominant NAC Stripes leader currently sitting at 8-1 overall and 4-0 in division play — a loss that carries no weight in the Stars standings but does speak to the competitive environment both programs are operating in.
On the mound, the central matchup figures to be St. John senior Izzy Holler against a PV offense that has been one of the most productive in the area. The Lady Lakers have scored 72 runs through nine games — an average of eight per contest — and have been even more explosive in NAC play, putting up 37 runs across their three divisional wins over Cardinal, Grand Valley, and Mathews. Holler is a dual threat that St. John leans on heavily. In St. John’s April 13 win over Mathews, she went 5-for-5 at the plate with seven RBI and four doubles while also logging four innings in the circle. Slowing down a PV lineup that has been relentless will be her biggest test of the season.
The common opponent lens provides some useful context. When PV faced Mathews on April 6, the Lady Lakers jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back, winning 11-6. Kailee Reynolds and Mackenzie Kribbs each went 2-for-5 with multiple RBI, while Macie Payne drove in three with a triple. Peyton Hudson was dominant in relief, tossing four perfect innings with seven strikeouts after Kribbs started. When St. John played Mathews on April 13, it was a far messier affair — the Heralds led 13-0 after three innings before Mathews rallied to make it 13-9, eventually losing 15-13 in a game that featured six errors by St. John. The Hollers combined for eight strikeouts but also six walks, and the Heralds needed every one of Izzy Holler’s seven RBI to hold on.
For PV, the engine of the offense runs through McKenna Jordan. The shortstop is a legitimate NAC Player of the Year candidate, hitting .656 with 21 hits, 17 runs scored and 12 stolen bases through just 9 games this season. Her ability to get on base and wreak havoc immediately puts pressure on opposing pitchers and defenses before the middle of the lineup even comes to the plate. Behind Jordan, Peyton Hudson, Kailee Reynolds and Macie Payne have all been forces driving in runs, each reaching double-digit RBI through just nine games. That kind of production up and down the lineup makes PV a threat to score in any inning against any opponent.
For St. John, the Holler sisters present a two-headed threat that PV will have to account for on both sides of the ball. Izzy is the anchor of the lineup and the pitching staff, while Maddie Holler earned the win in relief against Mathews, striking out five in three innings. Catcher Rylee Frasure also had a strong showing against Mathews, going 2-for-4 with two RBI, and will be a key bat in the middle of the St. John order.
Defense figures to be a critical factor. St. John committed 17 errors across their last four games, a number that has put their pitchers in difficult situations repeatedly. PV, meanwhile, started the season with 18 errors in their first four games but has tightened things up considerably, committing just eight errors over their past five contests. If the Lady Lakers can continue that defensive improvement Monday, it will only add to the pressure on St. John’s offense to manufacture runs cleanly.
Both teams have the pieces to win this game. For PV, the keys are getting Jordan on base early, protecting the lead defensively, and finding a way to solve Izzy Holler. For St. John, limiting mistakes in the field, getting production from the middle of their lineup, and keeping PV’s speedy slappers off the bases will be essential. Monday evening at St. John promises to be one of the more meaningful early-season NAC games in recent memory.