Upper Sandusky is on a nine-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Hopewell-Loudon is on a ten-game streak of away wins (also dating back to last season): one of those streaks is about to end. The Rams will host the Chieftains at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Upper Sandusky is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past Colonel Crawford 14-4 on Wednesday. The victory continues a trend for the Rams in their matchups with the Eagles: they've now won seven in a row.
Kaleb Francis
| 04/09/25 vs Colonel Crawford | 4 |
| 04/01/25 @ Carey | 2 |
| 05/13/24 vs Columbian | 2 |
| 04/26/24 @ Bucyrus | 5 |
Kaleb Francis made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, he posted four strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
In other batting news, David Gibson was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, and two doubles. Those hits were his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Kasen Gottfried, who scored three runs while going 2-for-3.
Upper Sandusky always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .576. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Hopewell-Loudon got the win against Old Fort on Friday by a conclusive 11-1. The result was nothing new for the Chieftains, who have now won four contests by eight runs or more so far this season.
Brayden Brickman was a standout: he scored two runs and stole a base while going 4-for-4. Thomas Daniel was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 4-for-4.
Upper Sandusky's win bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Hopewell-Loudon, their victory bumped their record up to 7-1.
Saturday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Upper Sandusky hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .313. However, it's not like Hopewell-Loudon struggles in that department as they've averaged .337. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Upper Sandusky's way against Hopewell-Loudon when the teams last played back in April of 2023, as Upper Sandusky made off with a 19-5 win. Do the Rams have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Chieftains turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
