Bishop Hartley is 1-9 against Bishop Watterson since April of 2022 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Hawks will look to defend their home field against the Eagles at 5:00 p.m. Bishop Hartley is coming into the contest hot, having won their last three games.
Bishop Hartley's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-0 win over St. Charles.
The result came thanks to Ben Stephenson's shutout, as he gave up just two hits and racked up eight Ks.
On the hitting side, Bishop Hartley saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Derek Hernandez, who went 1-for-3 with one run. Another was Carson Moore, who earned one run and two stolen bases.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Bishop Watterson, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They walked away with a 7-2 victory over St. Francis DeSales on Wednesday.
Blaise Strausbaugh spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on four hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Ben Burleson, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs and one RBI. Those four hits gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Brady McAninch, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Bishop Watterson was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .385 or higher in three consecutive matches.
Bishop Watterson pushed their record up to 9-2-1 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.7 runs over those games. As for Bishop Hartley, the win got them back to even at 8-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Bishop Hartley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Bishop Watterson struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Bishop Hartley couldn't quite finish off Bishop Watterson when the teams last played last Wednesday and fell 3-1. Will the Hawks have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
