The Hersey Huskies will head out on the road to challenge the Maine West Warriors at 4:45 p.m. on Monday. Hersey is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.
On Friday, Hersey earned a 4-1 victory over Loyola Academy. Those four runs were actually the fewest the Huskies have put up all season, but given the result they're probably not too concerned.
Riley Blackwell looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk any time he's pitched this season.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Charlie Arvanitis, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI. That triple was his first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Mike Sokan, who went 3-for-4 with one triple and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Maine West didn't have quite enough to beat Schaumburg on Friday and fell 7-6. The Warriors have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Maine West saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Tim Wiley, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Hersey pushed their record up to 7-0-1 with the win, which was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for Maine West, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-6.
Monday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Hersey has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .438. However, it's not like Maine West struggles in that department as they've averaged .440. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Hersey beat Maine West 8-4 in their previous meeting back in April of 2019. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Huskies since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
