Baseball Preview: Antioch Sequoits vs. Hoffman Estates Hawks
The Antioch Sequoits will head out on the road to challenge the Hoffman Estates Hawks at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Antioch's pitching crew has only allowed 3.5 runs per game this season, so Hoffman Estates' hitters will have their work cut out for them.
After soaring to a eight-point victory in their last game, Antioch came back down to earth on Thursday. They fell just short of Lake View by a score of 6-4.
Carson Young was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit over 5.2 innings pitched.
On the hitting side, Mason Willis made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Chris Cook was another key contributor, going 1-for-2 with a stolen base and an RBI.
Meanwhile, Hoffman Estates had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 13.7 runs), and they went ahead and made it four on Thursday. Everything went their way against the Raiders as they made off with a 9-2 win. The result was nothing new for Hoffman Estates, who have now won five contests by seven runs or more so far this season.
Joey Lizak tossed a big game, striking out nine batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off six hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't pitched less than five innings in three consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Branden Osorio and Luis Tobella did most of the damage at the plate: Osorio scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4, while Tobella scored a run while going 3-for-3. Another player making a difference was Eloy Suarez, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Antioch's defeat dropped their record down to 2-2. As for Hoffman Estates, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matches, which provided a massive bump to their 6-4 record this season.
Saturday's game will be a test for both team's pitchers. Antioch hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .356. However, it's not like Hoffman Estates struggles in that department as they've averaged .325. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Antioch came out on top in a nail-biter against Hoffman Estates in their previous meeting back in March of 2023, sneaking past 2-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for Antioch since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
