Baseball Game Preview: Leetonia Bears vs. Heartland Christian Lions

Leetonia hasn't had much luck against Heartland Christian recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Bears will be playing in front of their home fans against the Lions at 5:00 p.m. After the two teams made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Thursday.

Leetonia barely beat Wellsville the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Bears blew past the Tigers 18-9 on Wednesday. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since May 9, 2022, but that streak is no more.

Meanwhile, after low-scoring totals in their previous four contests, Heartland Christian brought some dynamite into their most recent match. Everything went their way against David Anderson on Friday as they made off with a 14-2 victory. The win continues a trend for the Lions in their matchups with the Blue Devils: they've now won eight in a row.

Christian Hamilton spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on four hits.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Jack Morgan, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-5. Those two runs gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Paul Bender, who scored two runs and stole four bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.

The victory got Leetonia back to even at 2-2. As for Heartland Christian, their win bumped their record up to 2-4.

Leetonia suffered a grim 13-0 defeat to Heartland Christian in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can the Bears avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.