The Lyons Lions will face off against the Hanover Central Wildcats at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Lyons 1.7, Hanover Central 2.2) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Lyons is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Montini Catholic just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Tuesday. They wound up with the same score they had in their last game (3-2), but sadly the team found themselves on the wrong side of the score this time.
Tommy Cavaliere
| 04/14/26 @ Montini Catholic | 2 |
| 04/09/26 vs Oak Park-River Forest | 2 |
| 03/27/26 vs Neuqua Valley | 1 |
| 03/21/26 vs Naperville Central | 1 |
Lyons got a good showing from Tommy Cavaliere, who tossed four innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Cavaliere has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Lyons saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Lon Roberts, who went 1-for-4 with one triple and one run. That triple marked the first that Roberts has hit this season. Lou Ratcliffe was another, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with two stolen bases and one double.
Meanwhile, Hanover Central is still undefeated this season after their game against Hobart on Tuesday, but Hobart came as close as anyone has to beating them. The Wildcats sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 7-5 win over the Brickies. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Wildcats have posted against the Brickies since May 6, 2017.
The team relied heavily on Dylan Bowen, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Lyons' loss dropped their record down to 9-2. As for Hanover Central, their win bumped their record up to 7-0-1.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Wednesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Lyons has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Hanover Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Lyons' way against Hanover Central in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, as Lyons made off with a 9-3 victory. Will the Lions repeat their success, or do the Wildcats have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
