The Continental Pirates will venture away from home to square off against the Hilltop Cadets at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Continental has given up an average of 8.5 runs per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Continental is headed into Friday's contest looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fourth straight games on Thursday. They lost 16-7 to McComb.
Quinn Tegenkamp was cooking despite his team's loss, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. That double marked the first that he has hit this season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Hilltop). They blew past Stryker 19-1 on Tuesday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
Alejandro Rubalcava and Ezra Mahlman were major factors while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Rubalcava tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Mahlman pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. At the plate, Rubalcava got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base, while Mahlman went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
In other batting news, Terry Rebeck was incredible, going 3-for-5 with four RBI and two runs. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Toby Hartman, who went 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Hilltop hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least four batters in four consecutive matchups.
Hilltop is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 5-2 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.8 runs over those games. As for Continental, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-8.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Continental has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Hilltop struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4.1 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
