Chieftains
| 05/22/25 @ Fraser | 3-6 |
| 05/19/25 @ Oxford | 3-0 |
| 05/17/25 @ Marysville | 14-4 |
| 05/17/25 @ Marysville | 14-3 |
| 05/15/25 vs L'Anse Creuse North | 7-1 |
Utica dropped their record down to 15-19 on Thursday, which also ended the team's five-game streak of wins. They fell 6-3 to the Fraser Ramblers. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last seven times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Michael Hoppe made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double. He is becoming a predictor of Utica's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is 2-1 (and 13-18 when he doesn't).
As for Fraser, they have been performing well recently as they've won 14 of their last 17 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-13 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.7 runs over those games.
On Fraser's side, Jack Manzella was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out seven over four innings pitched. Manzella has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season.
Manzella wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Ben Essian, who went 2-for-3 with one run.
Utica and Fraser could both be facing uphill battles in their next games considering their disadvantage in the MaxPreps Michigan Rankings. The Chieftains will face off against Sterling Heights Stevenson at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday with a big rank disadvantage (136 vs. 23). Meanwhile, Fraser (ranked 180th) will meet Dakota (ranked first) at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
