Baseball Game Preview: Hilltop Cadets vs. Stryker Panthers

Cadets

Runs

04/09/25 vs Stryker	16
04/07/25 vs Emmanuel Christian	17
04/04/25 vs Montpelier	3
04/03/25 vs Fort Wayne Crusaders	10
04/01/25 vs North Central	5

For the second straight game, Hilltop will face off against Stryker. The Cadets will head out to take on the Panthers at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Hilltop is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10.2 runs per game this season.

Hilltop's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They were the clear victors by a 16-0 margin over Stryker. The win continues a trend for the Cadets in their matchups with the Panthers: they've now won seven in a row.

Brennan Dempsey was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Dempsey was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Brady Wagner, who scored two runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Devin Dempsey, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.

Hilltop was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .407. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Stryker only posted a batting average of .111.

Stryker is on an 11-game losing streak (dating back to last season) that has dropped them down to 0-3. As for Hilltop, they now have a winning record of 3-2.

Stryker's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Hilltop hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .313. It's a different story for Stryker, though, as they've only averaged .088. Will they be able to contain Hilltop's hitters? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.