Baseball Preview: Poplar Springs Atomics vs. Laurel Hill Hoboes
Poplar Springs is 8-2 against Laurel Hill since March of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Poplar Springs Atomics will head out on the road to take on the Laurel Hill Hoboes at 5:00 p.m. Poplar Springs knows how to get runs on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy run totals in its past three matches -- so hopefully Laurel Hill likes a good challenge.
Poplar Springs can now show off five landslide victories after their most recent game on Thursday. They blew past Bethlehem 18-3.
Declyn Griffin made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over three innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. Griffin has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up a single hit in three consecutive pitching appearances. Griffin was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring four runs and stealing four bases while getting on base in five of his six plate appearances.
In other batting news, Carson Taylor was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in four of his six plate appearances. Hudson Mattox was another key contributor, scoring two runs while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 15 runs the game before, Laurel Hill was a bit more limited in their contest on Monday. They fell just short of Aletheia Christian Academy by a score of 2-0. The matchup marked that first time this season in which Laurel Hill was not able to get on the board.
Caden Taylor was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he tossed six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off seven hits.
At the plate, Laurel Hill saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Omerion Hill, who went 1-for-2 with three stolen bases.
Poplar Springs is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matches, which provided a nice bump to their 7-4 record this season. As for Laurel Hill, they have not been sharp recently as the team has lost four of their last five games, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-8 record this season.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Poplar Springs has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Laurel Hill struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.8. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Poplar Springs took their victory against Laurel Hill in their previous meeting back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 11-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for Poplar Springs since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
