Baseball Game Preview: Hazelwood Central Hawks vs. University City Lions

The Hazelwood Central Hawks will challenge the University City Lions at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Hazelwood Central will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.

Hazelwood Central took a ten-run defeat the last time they faced off against STEAM Academy at McCluer South Berkeley, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Hawks came out on top in a nail-biter against the Bulldogs on Wednesday, sneaking past 7-5.

Jace Dickson

Stolen Base

04/07/25 @ Hazelwood East	6
03/25/25 vs Riverview Gardens	5
04/17/25 vs McCluer North	4
04/09/25 vs Normandy	3
04/23/25 vs STEAM Academy at McCluer South Berkeley	2
+ 3 more games

Jace Dickson was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out 13 over 5.1 innings pitched. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one hit in seven consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. He has become a key player for Hazelwood Central: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 1-2 otherwise.

In other batting news, Hazelwood Central let John Shelton and Julius Reed run wild. Shelton went 2-for-4 with one stolen base and two RBI, while Reed went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and one run. Reed is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged two or more in each of the last five games he's played. Caleb Robinson was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and one RBI.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask University City). They were the clear victors by a 24-14 margin over St. Mary's on Thursday. Considering the Lions' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.

Hazelwood Central's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-2. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.3 runs over those games. As for University City, their win ended a six-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 2-2.

Hazelwood Central suffered a grim 15-2 defeat to University City in their previous meeting back in April of 2023. Can the Hawks avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.