Baseball Preview: Hilltop Cadets vs. Paulding Panthers
The Hilltop Cadets will be staying on the road on Monday to face off against the Paulding Panthers at 5:00 p.m. The last three games Hilltop has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Last Friday, it was a hard-fought match, but Hilltop had to settle for a 7-6 loss against Delta.
Wade Wagner put in work no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Wagner has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive pitching appearances. Wagner was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Cameron Shimp made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-4 with three RBI and a triple. Cameron Schlosser was another key contributor, scoring a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Paulding got the win against Jefferson on Saturday by a conclusive 11-1. That ten run margin sets a new team best for Paulding this season.
Paulding's victory was truly a team effort as six different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Patrick Paholak, who went 2-for-3 with four RBI, two doubles, and a run. Another player making a difference was Hunter Couts, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.
Hilltop's defeat ended a six-game streak of away wins and brought them to 10-6. As for Paulding, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 7-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Hilltop has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Paulding struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.4. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Hilltop came up short against Paulding in their previous matchup back in April of 2023, falling 10-6. Can Hilltop avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
