The Hamilton Southeastern Royals will venture away from home to take on the Westfield Shamrocks at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Hamilton Southeastern easily dispatched Hamilton Heights on Saturday, but unfortunately both the margin and the ultimate result were a different story in this one. The Royals fell just short of Mt. Vernon by a score of 3-1 on Monday. Having soared to a lofty 12 runs in the game before, the Royals couldn't push the score so high this time.
Johann Dierker
| 05/12/25 vs Mt. Vernon | 2 |
| 05/05/25 @ Lawrence North | 2 |
| 05/03/25 @ Bloomington North | 0 |
| 04/26/25 @ Lapel | 1 |
Hamilton Southeastern got a good showing from Johann Dierker, who didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. Dierker has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Hamilton Southeastern saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Michael Hoog, who went 1-for-3 with one run and one double.
Westfield came out on top against Columbus North on Tuesday thanks in part to the team's impressive seven-run fifth inning. The Shamrocks' pitchers stepped up to hand the Bull Dogs an 11-0 shutout. The Shamrocks not only won on Tuesday, but they posted their biggest win since April 11th (when they won 21-0).
Sam Flickinger tossed a big game, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out six over 4.2 innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in April.
On the hitting side, Ian Wilson was excellent, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double. Lincoln Hoffman also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Westfield always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .515. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Columbus North only posted an OBP of .062.
Hamilton Southeastern has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 10-15 record this season. Even worse, they were so close so many times: the losses came by an average of only 1.67 runs. As for Westfield, their record is now 14-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Hamilton Southeastern has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Westfield struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Hamilton Southeastern couldn't quite get it done against Westfield when the teams last played back in May of 2024 as they fell 9-5. Can the Royals avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
