Batavia and Hillsboro are an even 3-3 against one another since March of 2016, but likely not for long. The Bulldogs will venture away from home to take on the Indians at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Batavia will be looking to extend their current five-game winning streak.
While Batavia's victory against Western Brown wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Bulldogs narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Broncos 1-0.
Derek Richardson
| 04/30/25 vs Western Brown | 9 |
| 04/16/25 vs Wilmington | 13 |
| 04/07/25 vs Clinton-Massie | 5 |
| 03/31/25 @ Wilmington | 7 |
Not much got past Derek Richardson, who gave up just two hits and racked up nine Ks to keep Western Brown off the board. Richardson has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Batavia secured the victory behind a pair of hitters. One of them was Brayden Schmittou, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one double.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Hillsboro, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They came out on top against McClain by a score of 10-5 on Wednesday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Indians considering their one-run performance the match before.
Luke Holland made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and four unearned) runs off four hits (and only one walk). He is becoming a predictor of Hillsboro's success: when he allows at most one earned run the team is 3-1 (and 1-9 when he doesn't). Holland was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with four RBI, one run, and one double. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Nate Lane was excellent, going 1-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. Those two runs gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Walker Pence, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs.
Batavia's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-3. The team dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 8.5 runs. As for Hillsboro, their victory ended a seven-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 4-10.
Batavia skirted past Hillsboro 5-4 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bulldogs since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
