Baseball Game Preview: Horizon Hawks vs. Monarch Coyotes

The Horizon Hawks will square off against the Monarch Coyotes at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Horizon has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the match with three straight defeats, while Monarch will come in with three straight wins.

On Tuesday, Horizon came up short against Centaurus and fell 10-6. That's two games in a row now that the Hawks have lost by exactly four runs.

Parker Aaron made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with one home run and three RBI.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Monarch). They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Mead 11-10. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Coyotes have posted since March 26th.

Charlie Pearce made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over four innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with three runs. He is becoming a predictor of Monarch's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 2-1 (and 4-10 when he doesn't).

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Chase Knudsen, who went 3-for-4 with one triple and one RBI. Landon Resch was another key player, earning three runs and two stolen bases.

Monarch's victory bumped their record up to 6-11. As for Horizon, their loss dropped their record down to an identical 6-11.

Horizon came out on top in a nail-biter against Monarch in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, sneaking past 4-2. Do the Hawks have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Coyotes turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.