After four games on the road, Hammond Morton is heading back home. They will take on the East Chicago Central Cardinals at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Hammond Morton is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.9 runs per game this season.
Hammond Morton's hitters might be in the hot seat on Saturday considering what happened against River Forest on Wednesday. They fell 4-0 to the Ingots. Having soared to a lofty ten runs in the game before, Hammond Morton's shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Hammond Morton saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Gerard Garnett, who went 1-for-3 with a double.
Meanwhile, East Chicago Central earned a 17-12 victory over Thornton Fractional North on Friday. The win made it back-to-back victories for East Chicago Central.
Ivan Rojas made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Rojas was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs while going 3-for-4. He is on a roll when it comes to hits, as he's now hit three or more in the last three games he's played.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Abran Gomez, who went 3-for-4 with six stolen bases, four runs, and four RBI. Jorge Sanchez was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances.
Hammond Morton's loss dropped their record down to 13-10. As for East Chicago Central, their win bumped their record up to 9-11-1.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Hammond Morton has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like East Chicago Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Hammond Morton's way against East Chicago Central in their previous meeting back in April of 2023 as Hammond Morton made off with a 24-5 victory. Will Hammond Morton repeat their success, or does East Chicago Central have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
