The Hopkinton Hillers will face off against the Holliston Panthers at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
For some reason, the away team has come away with the win the last four times Hopkinton and Bellingham have met, but the home crowd finally got their W on Wednesday. The Hillers walked away with a 6-3 win over the Blackhawks.
Nick Pedroli
| 05/07/25 vs Bellingham | 6 |
| 04/11/25 vs Westwood | 4 |
| 04/02/25 vs Ashland | 4 |
| 04/17/25 vs Xaverian Brothers | 3 |
| 04/22/25 @ North Attleborough | 2 |
Nick Pedroli was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He struck out six batters over four innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits. Those six strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.
In other pitching news, Landon Fitzgibbon looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.
Pedroli wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Zach Stacey, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI. That double marked the first that Stacey has hit this season.
Meanwhile, Holliston waltzed into their match on Wednesday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 5-4 W against the Lancers. Five seems to be a good number for the Panthers as the squad scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Like Hopkinton, Holliston also got a great game from a two-way player: Arav Prajapati. On the mound, he pitched seven innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits. Prajapati has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Sam Schoenberg and Ben Maiorano did most of the damage at the plate: Schoenberg got on base in two of his four plate appearances with three stolen bases and one run, while Maiorano went 1-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
Holliston hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least four batters in four consecutive contests.
Holliston's win bumped their record up to 10-6. As for Hopkinton, their victory bumped their record up to 9-4.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Hopkinton has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Holliston struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.6 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Hopkinton came up short against Holliston in their previous matchup back in April, falling 7-4. Will the Hillers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
