Baseball Game Preview: Hanover-Horton Comets vs. Leslie Blackhawks

Comets

Runs

04/11/25 @ Homer	16
04/04/25 @ Northwest	2
04/04/25 @ Northwest	2
04/01/25 vs Quincy	10
04/01/25 vs Quincy	8

The Hanover-Horton Comets will head out to face off against the Leslie Blackhawks at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Hanover-Horton is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.6 runs per game this season.

Hanover-Horton had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 12-run drubbing they dealt Homer on Friday. The Comets blew past the Trojans 16-4. The Comets haven't had any issues with the Trojans recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.

Luke Soper made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over 4.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Soper was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, and one stolen base. That stolen base marked the first that he snagged this season.

In other batting news, Lukas NaDell was incredible, scoring four runs and stealing seven bases while getting on base in five of his six plate appearances. Braylon Sayles was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-5.

Hanover-Horton was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .543. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .300 or higher every time they've taken the field this season.

Meanwhile, Leslie didn't have quite enough to beat Manchester on Friday and fell 8-7.

Leslie dropped their record down to 1-4 with the defeat, which was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season. Even worse, they were so close so many times: the losses came by an average of only 3.25 runs. As for Hanover-Horton, their record now sits at 4-1.

Hanover-Horton couldn't quite get it done against Leslie in their previous matchup back in May of 2023 as they fell 6-3. Can the Comets avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.