Baseball Game Preview: McKinney North Bulldogs vs. Emerson Mavericks

The McKinney North Bulldogs will square off against the Emerson Mavericks on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (McKinney North 2.8, Emerson 2.3) so any runs scored will be well earned.

McKinney North is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They came out on top against Lufkin by a score of 4-1. The victory was nothing new for the Bulldogs as they're now sitting on four straight.

Connor Leos

Hits Against

03/18/25 @ Anna	2
05/02/25 @ Lufkin	1

Connor Leos spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on one hit. He is becoming a predictor of McKinney North's success: when he allows at most two hits the team is undefeated (and 10-12-1 when he doesn't).

At the plate, McKinney North let Gage Bradley and Cohen Broussard run wild. Bradley went 2-for-4 with two doubles and one run, while Broussard went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI. Those two doubles gave Bradley a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Brady Shelton, who went 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI.

They weren't the only ones making solid contact: McKinney North kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, Emerson owes their pitching crew a big pat on the back after their performance on Thursday. They walked away with a 3-0 win over Highland Park.

Emerson's victory bumped their record up to 19-7. As for McKinney North, they now have a winning record of 13-12-1.

Everything went McKinney North's way against Emerson in their previous matchup back in March of 2023, as McKinney North made off with a 6-0 win. Will the Bulldogs repeat their success, or do the Mavericks have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.