The Hinsdale Central Bobcats will take on the Ellicottville Eagles at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Hinsdale Central has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the game with six straight defeats, while Ellicottville will come in with three straight wins.
Hinsdale Central fought the good fight in their extra-innings match against Mount Morris on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Blue Devils by a score of 10-9.
Jackson Jones stepped up to lead a balanced group of hitters: he got on base in three of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases and three runs. Tyler Richards was another key player, going 1-for-4 with five stolen bases and two runs.
Meanwhile, Ellicottville won against Cattaraugus-Little Valley on Wednesday with eight runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Friday. The Eagles walked away with an 8-3 victory over the Timberwolves.
Blake Smith was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out ten batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. Smith was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Sawyer Miller, who went 2-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Parker John, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI and one double.
Ellicottville always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .568. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Cattaraugus-Little Valley only posted an OBP of .367.
Hinsdale Central's loss dropped their record down to 1-10. As for Ellicottville, their win bumped their record up to 5-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Hinsdale Central has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Ellicottville struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Hinsdale Central suffered a grim 15-0 defeat to Ellicottville in their previous meeting two weeks ago. Will the Bobcats 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.
