The Mason Comets will square off against the Harrison Wildcats at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Mason has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the match with three straight losses, while Harrison will come in with eight straight wins.
Mason is headed into the game having just suffered their closest defeat since May 10, 2024 on Thursday. They fell just short of St. Xavier by a score of 8-6.
Ollie Stuart was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he pitched 4.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one walk in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Drew Johnson and Dylan Heimbuch stepped up to the plate in a big way. Johnson went 1-for-3 with one home run, while Heimbuch went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double. That home run marked the first that Johnson has launched this season.
Meanwhile, it may have taken nine innings to finish the job, but Harrison ultimately got the result they hoped for last Monday. They had just enough and edged out Talawanda 3-2. The three-run effort marked the Wildcats' lowest-scoring contest of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Jack Geers made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Geers was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with two stolen bases, one double, and one RBI.
Geers wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Seth Green, who went 1-for-4 with one triple and one RBI.
Harrison's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-0. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Mason, their loss dropped their record down to 18-5.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Mason has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Harrison struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 5.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Mason skirted past Harrison 3-1 in their previous meeting back in May of 2021. Do the Comets have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Wildcats turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
