The Hillsboro Trojans will challenge the Marion Warriors at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Hillsboro is coming into the game on a four-game losing streak.
Hoisington hit Hillsboro with a five-run fifth inning on Friday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Trojans took a 10-7 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Cardinals. Even though they lost, the Trojans' still made a splash at the plate and bumped their average scoring up to 6.1 runs per game (they're now ranked -1th in scoring overall).
Nash Dickinson made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. Jace Morales also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Meanwhile, it was close, but on Friday Marion sidestepped Inman for an 11-10 victory.
Jameson Looper was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (five). He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Marion's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 7-2 (and 3-6 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kadon Mercer, who went 1-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one double. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March.
Marion has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-8 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.2 runs over those games. As for Hillsboro, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-11.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Hillsboro has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Marion struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
