| 04/16/24 - Home | 13-0 W |
| 05/01/23 - Away | 4-1 W |
| 05/20/21 - Away | 4-9 L |
| 05/20/21 - Away | 4-9 L |
| 04/12/19 - Away | 9-3 W |
| + 5 more games |
Hopewell Valley Central and Hightstown are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2015, but likely not for long. The Bulldogs will head out on the road to face off against the Rams at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Hopewell Valley Central barely beat Steinert the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Bulldogs' pitcher stepped up to hand the Spartans a 6-0 shutout on Wednesday. The Bulldogs have beaten the Spartans the last three times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Spartans has come to flipping the script.
Blake Echternacht made a splash while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out six over seven innings pitched. Echternacht was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Chase Garrow was excellent, going 2-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run. That triple was his first of the season.
Meanwhile, Hightstown had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it five on Saturday. They blew past the Northstars 12-0. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Rams considering their two-run performance the contest before.
Like Hopewell Valley Central, Hightstown also got a great game from a two-way player: Anthony Benitez. On the mound, he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits over five innings pitched. Benitez was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and one stolen base.
In other batting news, Daniel Krier was a standout: he went 3-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Another player making a difference was Peyton Atlak, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
Hightstown always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .586. The last time their OBP was this high was was before the start of last season.
Hightstown pushed their record up to 10-1 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for Hopewell Valley Central, their record is now 2-5-1.
Hopewell Valley Central's speedy runners might be the difference in Monday's game. The Bulldogs have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.9 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Hightstown, though, as they've been averaging only 1.4 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Hopewell Valley Central continue to outrun the ball?
Hopewell Valley Central took their victory against Hightstown in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 13-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bulldogs since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
