Baseball Recap: Hazelwood West Takes a Loss

Hazelwood West came into this matchup off a tough seven-run defeat on Monday. This time they kept things ultra-competitive, but unfortunately the final result was the same. They fell just short of the Valley Park Hawks by a score of 8-6 on Tuesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Wildcats have suffered since May 10, 2024.

Dwayne Belk

Stolen Base

04/07/25 vs Parkway North	4
05/06/25 vs Valley Park	3
03/15/25 vs Lutheran North	2
04/28/25 @ Webster Groves	1
04/14/25 vs St. Charles	1
+ 2 more games

Dwayne Belk was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-3 with three stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. He has become a key player for Hazelwood West: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 10-15 otherwise. Jace Torrence was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.

Hazelwood West has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost eight of their last nine contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 12-16 record this season. As for Valley Park, their victory bumped their record up to 17-4.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Hazelwood West will face off against St. Dominic at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The Wildcats' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Crusaders have averaged an impressive 6.7 runs per game this season. As for Valley Park, they will head out on the road to take on Oakville at 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (the Hawks 3, the Tigers 3.4) so any runs scored will be well earned.