Baseball Recap: Hoffman Estates Comes Up Short

Hoffman Estates extended their losing streak to six on Wednesday, dropping them down to 6-12. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 13-12 heartbreaker at the hands of the Buffalo Grove Bison. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Bison this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 13-3 on Monday.

Luis Tobella and Niko Belesiotis did some serious damage despite the final result: Tobella went 3-for-4 with three runs and one RBI, while Belesiotis went a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. Mason Walker also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.

As for Buffalo Grove, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-9 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.3 runs over those games.

On Buffalo Grove's side, Charlie Vates looked comfortable as he tossed 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.

At the plate, Rocco Perricone and Owen Erickson did most of the damage at the plate: Perricone got on base in all five of his plate appearances with four runs, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Erickson went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Those three hits gave Erickson a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Cole Diaz, who went 2-for-5 with two runs, two doubles, and one RBI.

Hoffman Estates and Buffalo Grove could both be facing uphill battles in their next games considering their disadvantage in the MaxPreps Illinois Rankings. The Hawks (ranked 409th) will meet Conant (ranked 96th) at 4:45 p.m. on Friday. Meanwhile, Buffalo Grove will take on Prospect at 4:45 p.m. on Friday with a big rank disadvantage (236 vs. 74).