Baseball Preview: Bremen Braves vs. Hillcrest Hawks
Bremen is 10-0 against Hillcrest since April of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Monday. The Bremen Braves will be playing at home against the Hillcrest Hawks at 4:30 p.m. Bremen has now lost seven straight, leaving the team hunting for their first win since April 15.
Bremen fought the good fight in their extra-innings game against Oak Forest on Wednesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell 9-6 to the Bengals.
Aiden Licea-Gonzales put in work no matter where he played. He pitched 7.2 innings while giving up three earned (and three unearned) runs off 12 hits. Licea-Gonzales has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive pitching appearances. Licea-Gonzales was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and a double.
In other batting news, Ashton Cardinal was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-3 with a home run. Armando Aguilar was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, Hillcrest scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Saturday. They put the hurt on Thornridge with a sharp 13-2 win. The victory was a breath of fresh air for Hillcrest as it put an end to their 20-game losing streak dating back to last season.
Daquan Dennis was incredible, going 1-for-3 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Deion Boyce, who scored two runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Bremen's defeat dropped their record down to 9-14. As for Hillcrest, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-18.
Hillcrest's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Bremen hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .323. It's a different story for Hillcrest, though, as they've only averaged .160. Will they be able to contain Bremen's hitters?
Everything went Bremen's way against Hillcrest in their previous matchup back in May of 2023 as Bremen made off with a 12-2 victory. Will Bremen repeat their success, or does Hillcrest have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
