Jack Tucker drove in all three runs as Wallkill Valley defeated Lenape Valley, 3-1, in the first round of the North 1, Group 1 tournament in Hamburg.
Tucker finished with a perfect day at the plate, going 2-for-2 with a double and three RBI to lead the Rangers’ offense. Chris Collins and Dylan Miller each scored a run for Wallkill Valley, which collected eight hits in the victory.
The Rangers and Patriots had split two games in the regular season.
The fourth-seeded Rangers (15-6) broke through in the third inning to take a 1-0 lead before adding two crucial insurance runs in the fifth. Lenape Valley (11-12) managed to score its lone run in the sixth inning but couldn’t complete the comeback against the Rangers’ strong pitching.
Ryan Miller was dominant on the mound for Wallkill Valley, striking out seven batters while allowing just three hits and one unearned run over 5⅓ innings. Miller also contributed offensively, going 1-for-3 with a run scored and a stolen base.
Tyler Haberstroh closed out the game with 1⅔ innings of scoreless relief, striking out two batters while allowing just one hit to secure the win.
The Rangers’ defense committed two errors but managed to limit the damage, while Lenape Valley had one error in the field.
With the victory, Wallkill Valley advances to host fifth-seeded New Milford in the sectional quarterfinals.
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Generative AI was used to produce an initial draft of this story, which was reviewed and edited by NJ Advance Media staff.