The Skyline Hawks will head out on the road to challenge the Handley Judges at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. The last six games Skyline has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Skyline will bounce into Thursday's contest after beating Millbrook, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. The Hawks beat the Pioneers on Wednesday by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 3-2.
Izaiah Matthews made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched five innings while giving up just two earned runs off seven hits. Matthews was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kaiden Brown, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Handley was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They came up short against James Wood, falling 20-0. The matchup marked the first time this season in which the Judges were not able to get on the board.
Skyline has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-5 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Handley, their loss dropped their record down to 2-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Skyline has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Handley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Skyline took their victory against Handley in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 14-4 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hawks since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
