Vale-Cruz, Raifstanger Help Keep Teams Unbeaten

We are only a few weeks into the spring season, and there are only a few Berkshire County teams that remain unbeaten.

 

This week's iBerkshires.com/Southwestern Vermont Health Care Athletes of the Week have had key roles in keeping their respective teams out of the loss column.

 

Camden Raifstanger is the top hitter on a high-scoring Monument Mountain baseball team that is 5-0 after it exploded for 21 runs on Saturday afternoon.

 

Raifstanger is hitting .667 with six RBIs in the leadoff spot.

 

And he has come through when his team has needed him the most.

 

In the Spartans' closest game of the year to date, he went 3-for-4 with a double and a pair of RBIs in a 12-11 win over Wahconah. He also went 3-for-4 when Monument Mountain edged Mount Everett, 7-5.

 

After playing its last four games at home, Monument Mountain looks to stay unbeaten when it hits the road Monday to face Monson.

 

The Wahconah softball team is 6-0 heading into Tuesday's game at Mount Greylock, and Avery Vale-Cruz once again has been a force.

 

In the circle, she has compiled a .62 earned run average, giving up just three earned runs in six games.

 

And her strikeout to walk ratio is an insane 16.0; by way of comparison, the NCAA Division I leader in that category as of Sunday had a ratio of 16.4.

 

At the plate, Avery-Cruz leads Wahconah in runs batted in with 16 and has a batting average of .423.

 

The iBerkshires.com Athlete of the Week is sponsored by Southwestern Vermont Health Care.