Baseball Game Preview: Hillcrest Patriots vs. Prattville Lions

For the second straight game, Hillcrest will face off against Prattville. The Patriots will face off against the Lions at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday.

On Tuesday, Hillcrest didn't have quite enough to beat Prattville and fell 4-2.

For Prattville's part, Mason Piper made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. Piper is becoming a predictor of Prattville's success: when he allows at most one earned run the team is 5-1 (and 7-19 when he doesn't). Piper was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one home run. That's the most hits he has posted over his last seven games.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Aidan Urnis, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March. Hayden Lantz also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.

Hillcrest's loss was their third straight at home, which dropped their record down to 22-13. As for Prattville, their victory ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 12-20.