The Patrick Henry Patriots will head out on the road to square off against the Elmwood Royals at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Patrick Henry will be strutting in after a victory while Elmwood will be coming in after a loss.
While Patrick Henry's win against Swanton wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Patriots had just enough and edged out the Bulldogs 3-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Patriots have posted since May 22, 2024.
Mack Hieber spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on two hits and racked up 12 Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Patrick Henry's win was truly a team effort as three different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Mason Jardine, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one RBI. Ian Schwab was another, going 1-for-2 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, Wednesday just wasn't the day for Elmwood's offense. They fell just short of Van Buren by a score of 1-0 on Wednesday. Having soared to a lofty ten runs in the game before, the Royals' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Patrick Henry's victory bumped their record up to 5-8. As for Elmwood, their defeat ended a five-game streak of away wins and brought them to 14-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Patrick Henry has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Elmwood struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Patrick Henry came out on top in a nail-biter against Elmwood in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, sneaking past 6-5. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Patriots since the team 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
