Baseball Game Preview: Pearl-Cohn Firebirds vs. Hillsboro Burros

The Pearl-Cohn Firebirds will venture away from home to challenge the Hillsboro Burros at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

Things were looking good for Pearl-Cohn after they put the first runs on the board on Wednesday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They fell 8-4 to Hunters Lane. The Firebirds have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Antruan Hockett

Stolen Base

04/02/25 @ Hunters Lane	2
03/28/25 @ Montgomery Bell Academy	2
03/25/25 vs Hunters Lane	2
03/18/25 @ Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet	3
03/17/25 @ Whites Creek	2
03/11/25 vs Hillsboro	3

Pearl-Cohn saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Antruan Hockett, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-2. Hockett is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged two or more in each of the last six games he's played.

Meanwhile, Hillsboro came tearing into Monday's match with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7.8 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Royals 11-1. Considering the Burros have won eight contests by more than five runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.

The team relied heavily on Cyrus Conner, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three stolen bases, four RBI, and two runs. Those three stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Efrain Martinez III (TRE) was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.

Hillsboro's victory was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 13-5. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.3 runs over those games. As for Pearl-Cohn, their loss dropped their record down to 1-9.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Pearl-Cohn has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Hillsboro struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.

Pearl-Cohn might still be hurting after the 15-3 defeat they got from Hillsboro when the teams last played back in March. Can the Firebirds avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.