Phoenix drop opener to St. Joseph’s Academy 15-4

By Bees O’Brien

BOALSBURG- Sugar Valley Rural Charter opened up their 2024 slate with a trip to Boalsburg to take on St. Joseph’s Academy. The host Wolfpack would use big innings in the third and fourth innings to erase an early Phoenix lead and go on to pull out the 15-4 win in five innings.

Sugar Valley raced out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning thanks to a three-run home run from senior Lance Winchester. Winchester’s center field blast would score Cayden Weaver and Lincoln Breon, but their lead would disappear following a big 8-run third inning from St. Joseph’s.

Trailing 10-3, Sugar Valley would add another run in the top of the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly, but the Wolfpack countered with five more runs in the fourth inning. St. Joseph’s would hold the Phoenix scoreless in the top half of the fifth inning to grab the 10-run victory.

Winchester led the way for Sugar Valley with his home run and 3 runs batted in. Laydon Bryan and Jerry Andrus each had singles for the Phoenix, who only managed just 3 hits on the day. Andrus picked up an RBI on a the SAC fly.

Now 0-1, the Phoenix will step into Mid Penn Conference play on Tuesday when they travel to Montgomery. Game time is set for 4:30pm.

St. Joseph’s improved to 1-1 on the young season.