Baseball Game Preview: Buckley Griffins vs. Hoover Tornados

The Buckley Griffins will challenge the Hoover Tornados at 3:15 p.m. on Monday.

Last Friday, Buckley and Beverly Hills finished up on equal footing with a 4-4 tie.

Meanwhile, Hoover posted their closest victory since February 13, 2024 on Saturday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Providence 7-5. The Tornados haven't had any issues with the Pioneers recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.

Jordan Mahler made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (five). He was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 1-for-3. He also hit a double, marking his first of the season.

Mahler wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Gabriel Flores, who scored a run while going 2-for-2. What's more, Flores posted two hits, the most he's had since back in March of 2024. Angel Kaletta also deserves some recognition as he scored his first runs of the season.

Hoover hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most four strikeouts in three consecutive matches.

Buckley's tie makes their record 0-1-1 this season. As for Hoover, the win got them back to even at 2-2.