The Ellicottville Eagles will head out to face off against the Hinsdale Central Bobcats at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Ellicottville has three straight wins, Hinsdale Central has six straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
If Ellicottville beats Hinsdale Central with eight runs on Saturday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two games with that exact score. The Eagles walked away with an 8-3 victory over Cattaraugus-Little Valley on Friday.
Blake Smith was a major factor no matter where he played. He struck out ten batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. Smith was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high.
Sawyer Miller
| 05/09/25 vs Cattaraugus-Little Valley | 3 |
| 04/28/25 vs Hinsdale Central | 2 |
| 05/03/25 @ North Collins | 1 |
| 04/22/25 @ Franklinville | 1 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Sawyer Miller, who went 2-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. Parker John was another key player, going 2-for-4 with three RBI and one double.
Ellicottville always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .568. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Cattaraugus-Little Valley only posted an OBP of .367.
Meanwhile, Hinsdale Central fought the good fight in their extra-innings contest against Mount Morris on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Blue Devils by a score of 10-9.
Jackson Jones stepped up to lead a balanced group of hitters: he got on base in three of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases and three runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Tyler Richards, who went 1-for-4 with five stolen bases and two runs.
Ellicottville's record is now 5-6. As for Hinsdale Central, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-10.
Hinsdale Central's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Ellicottville has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .436. It's a different story for Hinsdale Central, though, as they've only averaged .346. Will they be able to contain Ellicottville's hitters?
Everything went Ellicottville's way against Hinsdale Central in their previous meeting two weeks ago, as Ellicottville made off with a 15-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Eagles since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
