Baseball Game Preview: Houston Hawks vs. Homer Mariners

Houston hasn't had much luck against Homer recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Hawks will face off against the Mariners at 1:00 p.m.

Houston is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Alaska's top teams: Soldotna, who was ranked seventh at the time (Houston was ranked 19th). The Hawks came up short against the Stars on Friday, falling 10-0. The Hawks have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Meanwhile, Homer posted their closest win since April 17th on Friday. They skirted past Redington 5-3. The Mariners haven't had any issues with the Huskies recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive victory against them.

CJ Burns made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. What's more, he posted three strikeouts, the most he's had since back in May of 2024. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases and one run. He is becoming a predictor of Homer's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is undefeated (and 6-7 when he doesn't).

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Clyde Clemens, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. 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. Cohen Boyd also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.

Homer's record is now 9-7. As for Houston, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-8.

Houston beat Homer 8-5 in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Will the Hawks repeat their success, or do the Mariners have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.