The Heritage Hills Patriots will face off against the Princeton Tigers at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Heritage Hills 3.6, Princeton 3.2) so any runs scored will be well earned.
The scorekeeper got an easy start on Tuesday as neither Heritage Hills nor Southridge made it on the board until the fifth inning. The Patriots' pitcher stepped up to hand the Raiders a 2-0 shutout. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Patriots have posted since April 8th.
Peyton Gray made a splash no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over seven innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one RBI. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April.
Gray wasn't the only one making solid contact as six players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Tyce Winchell, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one double. That's the most hits Winchell has posted over his last 11 matchups.
Meanwhile, Princeton entered their game against Boonville on Tuesday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. The Tigers might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 4-3 to the Pioneers, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior. Tigers fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team's lost against the Pioneers since on Tuesday.
Heritage Hills is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 16-5 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Princeton, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 17-5.
Thursday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Heritage Hills hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .324. However, it's not like Princeton struggles in that department as they've averaged .315. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Heritage Hills took their victory against Princeton in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 11-1 score. Will the Patriots repeat their success, or do the Tigers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
