Hardaway is on a five-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Jordan is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Hardaway Hawks will welcome the Jordan Red Jackets at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (Hardaway: 3.8, Jordan: 3.1) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Hardaway's usually-dominant pitching crew will be looking to make up for Friday's struggle, when Columbus hitters got past them. Hardaway lost 11-1 to Columbus on Friday. The game marked the Hawks' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
Hardaway saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Christian Eleby, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Jordan). They never let Kendrick get on the board and left with an 18-0 win on Friday. The victory continues a trend for the Red Jackets in their matchups with the Cherokees: they've now won nine in a row.
Bradley Smith was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out nine batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in strikeouts. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3. He is also on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now stole at least one in each of the last three games he's played.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Chase Scott, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was John Dollar, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one double and one RBI.
Jordan always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .667. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Jordan's win bumped their record up to 6-2. As for Hardaway, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Hardaway has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 15.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Jordan struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Hardaway came out on top in a nail-biter against Jordan in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, sneaking past 6-5. Does Hardaway have another victory up their sleeve, or will Jordan turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
