Baseball Game Preview: Heartland Christian Lions vs. Leetonia Bears

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Previous 5 Games

05/07/24 - Away	13-0 W
05/09/23 - Away	18-4 W
04/15/23 - Home	23-4 W
03/31/22 - Away	18-0 W
05/14/21 - Away	17-2 W

Heartland Christian is a perfect 5-0 against Leetonia since May of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Lions will challenge the Bears at 5:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Having struggled with four defeats in a row, Heartland Christian turned things around against David Anderson on Friday. They blew past the Blue Devils 14-2. Considering the Lions' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.

Christian Hamilton spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on four hits.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Jack Morgan, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-5. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Paul Bender, who scored two runs and stole four bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Leetonia). Everything went their way against Wellsville on Wednesday as they made off with an 18-9 win. The game was the first time the Bears have beaten the Tigers on their field since April 14, 2021.

The victory made it two in a row for Leetonia and bumps their season record up to 2-2. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.5 runs over those games. As for Heartland Christian, their victory bumped their record up to 2-4.

Everything went Heartland Christian's way against Leetonia in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, as Heartland Christian made off with a 13-0 win. Do the Lions have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bears turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.