Baseball Game Preview: Belton-Honea Path Bears vs. T.L. Hanna Yellow Jackets

The Belton-Honea Path Bears will head out to take on the T.L. Hanna Yellow Jackets at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. The last four games Belton-Honea Path has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.

Belton-Honea Path took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Palmetto 6-5. The victory continues a trend for the Bears in their matchups with the Mustangs: they've now won five in a row.

Rhett Turner and Colby Bates did most of the damage at the plate: Turner went a perfect 1-for-1 with one triple, one run, and one RBI, while Bates went 2-for-3 with three RBI and one stolen base. That's the most RBI Bates has posted since back in May of 2024. Jakari Anderson also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.

Meanwhile, T.L. Hanna waltzed into their game on Tuesday with seven straight wins... but they left with eight. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Rams, sneaking past 5-3.

Reece Oakley looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Eli Stone was excellent, scoring a run while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Jackson Driver, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one RBI.

T.L. Hanna's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-2. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.5 runs over those games. As for Belton-Honea Path, their record is now 4-6.

Belton-Honea Path took their win against T.L. Hanna in their previous matchup back in March of 2024 by a conclusive 8-1. Will Belton-Honea Path repeat their success, or does T.L. Hanna has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.