The Hobart Brickies will head out on the road to challenge the Highland Trojans at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Hobart is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.1 runs per game this season.
On Saturday, Hobart beat Hammond Morton 11-6. The win made it back-to-back victories for Hobart.
Brandon Stafford was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Stafford was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Jayme Hairston was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Highland came up short against Kankakee Valley on Wednesday and fell 8-3.
Highland saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Caden VanderMeyden, who went 1-for-3 with an RBI. VanderMeyden has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive pitching appearances.
Hobart has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 8-8 record this season. As for Highland, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-12 record this season.
Highland's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Hobart has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .445. It's a different story for Highland, though, as they've only averaged .300. Will they be able to contain Hobart's hitters?
Everything went Hobart's way against Highland in their previous matchup back in April of 2023 as Hobart made off with an 8-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Hobart 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