Baseball Game Preview: Laurel Hill Hoboes vs. Northview Chiefs

Laurel Hill hasn't had much luck against Northview recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Hoboes will challenge the Chiefs at 4:00 p.m. Laurel Hill has given up an average of 14.5 runs per game this season, but Monday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Laurel Hill fought the good fight in their extra-innings contest against L.E.A.D. Academy on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Lions by a score of 17-16. Even though they lost, the Hoboes' still made a splash at the plate and bumped their average scoring up to 6.7 runs per game (they're now ranked -1th in scoring overall).

Nathan Gemina made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored four runs and stole three bases while getting on base in five of his six plate appearances. Weston Graves was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-5.

Northview not only won on Friday, but they posted their biggest win since March 7th. They blew past W.S. Neal 12-5. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Chiefs.

Braynt Mason and Luke Chavers did most of the damage at the plate: Mason went 2-for-3 with four RBI and one run, while Chavers scored two runs while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. That's the most hits Mason has posted since back in March.

This is the second loss in a row for Laurel Hill and nudges their season record down to 2-13. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.0 runs over those games. As for Northview, their victory bumped their record up to 10-11.

Laurel Hill suffered a grim 17-2 defeat to Northview in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Hoboes avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.