Baseball Preview: Hobart Brickies vs. Illiana Christian Vikings
The Hobart Brickies will look to defend their home field on Saturday against the Illiana Christian Vikings at 11:00 a.m. Hobart will be looking to extend their current six-game winning streak.
Hobart can now show off nine landslide victories after their most recent game on Friday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Westville a 12-0 shutout.
Connor Stafford made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and only two hits while striking out 11 over seven innings pitched. Stafford has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances. Stafford was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing two bases.
In other batting news, Hobart got a massive performance out of Celedonio Pimentel, who went 1-for-1 with two runs, a triple, and a stolen base. Brandon Stafford was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Friday just wasn't the day for Illiana Christian's offense. They wound up with the same score they had in their last game (8-0), but sadly the team found themselves on the wrong side of the score this time. They have not had much luck with Andrew recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.
Isaac VanderWoude made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 3-for-3 with a triple and a double.
Hobart is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine matches, which provided a massive bump to their 14-9 record this season. As for Illiana Christian, their defeat dropped their record down to an identical 14-9.
Saturday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Hobart has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .451. However, it's not like Illiana Christian struggles in that department as they've averaged .485. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Hobart suffered a grim 8-2 defeat to Illiana Christian in their previous matchup back in April of 2023. Will Hobart have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
