Lakeland Chiefs Struggle Against Valley View in 10-4 Loss
By: Brad Loff | Sportzwire | March 27, 2025 | Photo courtesy BL Sports Photography - Brad Loff
Valley View jumped ahead early and never looked back in a 10-4 win over the Lakeland Varsity Chiefs on Thursday afternoon.
The Cougars struck first in the opening inning when Jordan Amdino delivered a sacrifice fly to drive in the game’s first run. Lakeland responded in the second with Gavin Zellers grounding out to bring in a run and tie the game at 1-1.
In the bottom half of the second, Tyler Scoblick executed a steal of home to push Valley View back in front, 2-1. The Cougars added another in the third when Andino tagged up and scored on a flyout, making it 3-1.
Valley View continued to apply pressure throughout the game, taking advantage of free passes and aggressive baserunning. The Cougars drew nine walks in total and swiped eight bases, keeping Lakeland’s defense on its heels. Scoblick, Gianni Marino, and Aiden Mills each reached base twice via walks.
Marino got the win on the mound, tossing four innings and allowing just one unearned run on one hit, while striking out one and walking three. Chase Magnot took the loss for Lakeland, surrendering three runs on three hits over two and one-third innings, striking out three and issuing five walks.
At the plate, Valley View’s bats came alive with three players notching multi-hit games. Jonathan Greenburg, Brayden McConnell, and Zach Cwalinski each had two hits. Cwalinski and Kevin Essig both drove in a pair of runs to lead the offense.
Despite the loss, Lakeland found production from the bottom of its lineup. Ryan McGrane went 2-for-2 from the seventh spot, providing a spark with his bat.
Lakeland will look to bounce back on Saturday when they travel to Montrose.
Top Performers – Stats Breakdown:
Valley View
• Zach Cwalinski: 2 H, 2 RBI
• Kevin Essig: 2 RBI
• Jonathan Greenburg: 2 H
• Brayden McConnell: 2 H
• Gianni Marino (W): 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 K, 3 BB
• Team: 9 BB, 8 SB
Lakeland
• Ryan McGrane: 2-for-2
• Gavin Zellers: 1 RBI
• Chase Magnot (L): 2.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 K, 5 BB
