Baseball Game Preview: Hillcrest Rams vs. J.L. Mann Patriots

The Hillcrest Rams will face off against the J.L. Mann Patriots at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Hillcrest has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the match with four straight losses, while J.L. Mann will come in with five straight victories.

On Saturday, Hillcrest came up short against Chapin and fell 6-2.

Meanwhile, J.L. Mann won against Woodmont on Tuesday with seven runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Friday. J.L. Mann beat Woodmont by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 7-6.

Reid Holtzclaw looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk any time he's pitched this season.

On the hitting side, McLeod Darnell was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, two RBI, and one double. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Kaido Greene was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.

J.L. Mann's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-5. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.0 runs over those games. As for Hillcrest, they now have a losing record of 6-7.

Hillcrest came out on top in a nail-biter against J.L. Mann in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, sneaking past 4-2. Will Hillcrest repeat their success, or does J.L. Mann has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.