Muckers Stumble, Smith Valley Runs Wild

If the Virginia City Muckers felt high and mighty after steamrolling Coleville 14-4, the Portola Tigers quickly brought them back to earth. The Muckers took a 13-8 tumble, marking their fourth straight defeat at the hands of the Tigers. With that loss, Virginia City now finds itself in rough shape at 2-7 on the season, while Portola clawed its way to 4-3, snapping a five-game home losing streak that stretched back to last year.

The Muckers have been surrendering nearly 10 runs per game, which doesn’t bode well for their chances of turning the tide. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs weren’t just winning—they were putting on a clinic in Smith Valley.

Fresh off back-to-back blowout victories, they kept the train rolling with a 16-1 mauling of the Wolves. For Smith Valley, winning big is just business as usual—they’ve now racked up three wins of 12 or more runs this season.

Wyatt Wulfing and Cole Balda were at the heart of the action, dealing damage on both sides of the ball. Wulfing was dominant on the mound, tossing two innings without surrendering a hit or an earned run. At the plate, he went 3-for-4, smacked his first home run of the season, and drove in five runs for good measure. Balda, meanwhile, added his own two innings of scoreless pitching, went 2-for-4 with a run, and swiped a base.

The Bulldogs’ bats were red-hot, with Gaston Rodriguez and Devin Gleason leading on the basepaths. Rodriguez crossed home plate four times and stole three bags, while Gleason added two runs and three steals of his own.

With a blistering team batting average of .560, Smith Valley has been putting on a hitting masterclass, posting averages north of .485 in three straight games. Smith Valley now sits at 3-1, riding a nine-game home winning streak that dates back to last season, in that they’ve been downright ruthless, averaging over 14 runs per contest.

As for Virginia City, they’ll have to shake off another loss and prepare for their next battle. They’d be wise to remember what happened last time they tangled with Smith Valley—back in March, the Bulldogs shut them out 14-0.