Baseball Game Preview: Ripon Indians vs. Hilmar Yellowjackets

For the second straight game, Ripon will face off against Hilmar. The Indians will host the Yellowjackets at 4:00 p.m. on Friday.

Ripon easily dispatched Edison on Saturday, but unfortunately both the margin and the ultimate result were a different story in this one. The Indians fell just short of Hilmar by a score of 7-5 on Wednesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Indians have suffered since April 30, 2024.

Ripon saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Isaiah Martinez, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one run. Brayden McDowell was another, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run.

Hilmar's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 16-3. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.8 runs over those games. As for Ripon, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 9-12 record this season.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Ripon has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Hilmar struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.