Hazelwood Central hasn't had much luck against McCluer North recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Hawks will be playing at home against the Stars at 4:00 p.m. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
While Hazelwood Central didn't have the best season last year (they finished 2-15), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They blew past McCluer 8-1 on Friday. The Hawks might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four games by seven runs or more this season.
Jace Dickson
| 04/01/25 vs Jennings | 2 |
| 04/09/25 vs Normandy | 1 |
| 03/25/25 vs Riverview Gardens | 1 |
Mekhi Maclin and Jace Dickson made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Maclin didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Meanwhile, Dickson tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He also tossed no walks, which is notable because Hazelwood Central is undefeated when he allows at most one walk, but 1-2 otherwise. At the plate, Maclin went 2-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one double, while Dickson scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. Dickson is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: he's snagged at least one every time he's taken the field this season.
In other batting news, Hazelwood Central let John Shelton and Julius Reed run wild. Shelton scored a run and stole four bases while going 3-for-4, while Reed scored three runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-4. Shelton is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games he's played.
Hazelwood Central kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask McCluer North). They were the clear victors by a 12-1 margin over University City on Tuesday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
Devin Johnson was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing four bases while going 2-for-2. Another player making a difference was Recordo Strauther, who scored two runs and stole six bases.
Hazelwood Central has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 5-2 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. As for McCluer North, their win bumped their record up to 4-7.
