Baseball Game Preview: Highland Hornets vs. Padua Franciscan Bruins

The Highland Hornets will venture away from home to take on the Padua Franciscan Bruins at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Highland is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.

Highland barely beat Aurora the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Hornets put the hurt on the Greenmen with a sharp 9-2 win on Wednesday. The Hornets' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.

Reid Oney tossed a big game, tossing six innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Grady Gibb, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Cameron Koch also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.

Highland was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. The last time their batting average was this high was back in May of 2024.

Meanwhile, Padua Franciscan hadn't done well against Walsh Jesuit recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. The Bruins came out on top in a nail-biter against the Warriors, sneaking past 7-5. That's two games straight that the Bruins have won by exactly two runs.

Highland's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-0. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.5 runs over those games. As for Padua Franciscan, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record up to 7-5.

Highland skirted past Padua Franciscan 4-3 when the teams last played back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hornets since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.