Baseball Game Preview: Gatesville Hornets vs. Shoemaker Wolves

The Gatesville Hornets will take on the Shoemaker Wolves in a tournament on Thursday. Gatesville is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.

Gatesville took a 12-run defeat the last time they faced off against Taylor, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. Gatesville came out on top in a nail-biter against Taylor on Tuesday, sneaking past 3-1. That's two games straight that the Hornets have won by exactly two runs.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Shoemaker). They came out on top against Ellison by a score of 17-13 on Monday. With that victory, the Wolves brought their scoring average up to 7.2 runs per game.

Sebastian Marquez made a splash while hitting and pitching. He struck out six batters over 3.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and seven unearned) runs off six hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-4. He also hit a double, marking his first of the season.

In other batting news, Eliel Rivera and Kenner Campbell did most of the damage at the plate: Rivera went 3-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs, while Campbell got on base in all four of his plate appearances with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. That's the most runs Campbell has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Aiden Toth, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-4.

Shoemaker always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .600. They are 4-1 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.

Gatesville's win was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-0. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.0 runs over those games. As for Shoemaker, they now have a winning record of 4-3-1.