Baseball Game Preview: McHenry Warriors vs. Johnsburg Skyhawks

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Previous Games

03/16/24 - Home	17-0 W
03/24/23 - Home	11-1 W
05/07/22 - Home	10-3 W
05/27/21 - Home	13-2 W
05/10/19 - Home	0-4 L
+ 2 more games

McHenry has gone 6-1 against Johnsburg recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Saturday. The Warriors will face off against the Skyhawks at 7:30 p.m. McHenry is coming into the match hot, having won their last eight games.

While McHenry's win against Crystal Lake Central wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Warriors won by a run and slipped past the Tigers 6-5. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Warriors have posted since April 15th.

Meanwhile, Johnsburg gave up the first runs on Wednesday, but they didn't let that get them down. Everything went their way against Woodstock as they made off with a 7-1 win. The game was the first time the Skyhawks have beaten the Blue Streaks on their field since April 10, 2023.

Peyton Mesce spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on six hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Riley Johnson, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. That's the most runs he has posted over his last nine contests. Ahston Stern also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.

McHenry pushed their record up to 20-2-1 with the victory, which was their ninth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Johnsburg, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-6 record this season.

McHenry took their victory against Johnsburg when the teams last played back in March of 2024 by a conclusive 17-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Warriors since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.