The Hoggard Vikings will square off against the Grimsley Whirlies at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. The last five games Hoggard has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Hoggard might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 3-2 to West Brunswick, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior.
Lucas Mathews was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out six batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits.
Meanwhile, Grimsley got themselves on the board against Page on Wednesday, but Page never followed suit. They were the clear victors by an 8-0 margin over the Pirates. The Whirlies not only won on Wednesday, but they posted their biggest win since March 21st.
Jacob Benbow tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than nine strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Max Snyder, who went 2-for-4 with five RBI, one run, and one double. Those five RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Levi Ponder, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Hoggard has been struggling recently as they've lost eight of their last ten matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 5-12 record this season. Even worse, they were so close so many times: the defeats came by an average of only 1.5 runs. As for Grimsley, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 14-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Hoggard has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Grimsley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
