Baseball Game Preview: Mott Marauders vs. Hazel Park Vikings

The Mott Marauders will venture away from home to take on the Hazel Park Vikings at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Mott is coming into the contest hot, having won their last three games.

Mott had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 11-run drubbing they dealt Fitzgerald on Wednesday. The Marauders put the hurt on the Spartans with a sharp 12-1 win. Considering the Marauders have won seven matchups by more than six runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.

Kevin Barden

Earned Runs

05/14/25 - Away

1

Kevin Barden was a major factor no matter where he played. He struck out 14 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. He has become a key player for Mott: the team is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 5-7 otherwise. Barden was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with five stolen bases, three runs, and two doubles. He 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.

In other batting news, Mott got a big performance out of Brandon Fletcher, who went 2-for-5 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double. That double marked the first that Fletcher has hit this season. Ryan Evangelista was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs.

Meanwhile, Hazel Park lost 12-4 to Clawson on Wednesday. The Vikings have struggled against the Trojans recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive lost meeting.

Hazel Park saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Zay Justice, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.

Hazel Park's loss dropped their record down to 12-8. As for Mott, they now have a winning record of 8-7.