Baseball Game Preview: Hope Christian Huskies vs. Artesia Bulldogs

The Hope Christian Huskies will take on the Artesia Bulldogs at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday. The last three games Hope Christian has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.

Hope Christian is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They had just enough and edged out Valley 6-5.

Trey Baillio was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run and three RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April.

Meanwhile, Artesia waltzed into their match on Saturday with ten straight wins... but they left with 11. They came out on top against the Spartans by a score of 8-5.

Artesia pushed their record up to 22-6 with the win, which was their 15th straight at home dating back to last season. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Hope Christian, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-10 record this season.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Hope Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Artesia struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.