Licking Heights is 6-1 against Zanesville since April of 2021, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Licking Heights Hornets will look to defend their home field against the Zanesville Blue Devils at 5:00 p.m.
Things were looking good for Licking Heights after they put the first points on the board on Wednesday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They suffered a tough 14-4 defeat at the hands of Johnstown-Monroe.
Brady Pennington made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Joel Busker, who scored a run while going 1-for-4.
Even though they lost, Licking Heights hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. That's the fewest strikeouts they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Zanesville scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Wednesday. Everything went their way against Northridge as Zanesville made off with a 12-1 victory. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
Zanesville also got a great performance from Evan McBride as he struck out six batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits.
At the plate, Solomon Norris was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Tyson Kimble, who scored three runs while going 3-for-4.
Licking Heights' loss was their eighth straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 4-12. As for Zanesville, their victory ended a 15-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 4-10-1.
Zanesville's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. Licking Heights has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Zanesville, though, as they've been averaging only 4.1. Will Licking Heights keep running through batters, or will Zanesville buck the trend?
Licking Heights beat Zanesville 10-6 when the teams last played on April 9th. Does Licking Heights have another victory up their sleeve, or will Zanesville turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps