Baseball Game Preview: Sterling Heights Stevenson Titans vs. Utica Chieftains

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Previous Games

03/31/25 - Home	4-1 W
06/01/24 - Neutral	10-0 W
05/25/24 - Home	8-0 W
05/27/23 - Neutral	4-1 W
04/13/23 - Home	13-1 W
+ 5 more games

Sterling Heights Stevenson has gone 9-1 against Utica recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Saturday. The Titans will take on the Chieftains at 9:00 a.m. Sterling Heights Stevenson will be strutting in after a victory while Utica will be coming in after a defeat.

Sterling Heights Stevenson is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Michigan's top teams: Brother Rice, who was ranked third at the time (Sterling Heights Stevenson was ranked 23rd). The Titans skirted past the Warriors 4-2. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Titans.

Wyatt Pulliam spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on eight hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one walk in five consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Brett Leonard was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two doubles and one stolen base. That's the most doubles he has posted since back in April of 2024. Alex Pierce also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.

Meanwhile, Utica unfortunately witnessed the end of their five-game winning streak on Thursday. They took a 6-3 hit to the loss column at the hands of Fraser. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last seven times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.

Michael Hoppe was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double. Utica is 2-1 when Hoppe posts two or more stolen bases, but 13-18 otherwise.

Utica's loss dropped their record down to 15-19. As for Sterling Heights Stevenson, their win bumped their record up to 21-12.

Sterling Heights Stevenson beat Utica 4-1 when the teams last played back in March. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Titans since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.