The Hawken Hawks will venture away from home to take on the Wickliffe Blue Devils at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Hawken is coming into the game hot, having won their last nine games.
Wickliffe's hitters are going to have their work cut out for them on Saturday: Hawken hadn't allowed a single run the last three times they've hit the field. The Hawks put the hurt on West Geauga with a sharp 10-0 win on Tuesday. Considering the Hawks have won eight contests by more than nine runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Ethan Gipson and Asher Kimball did most of the damage at the plate: Gipson got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Kimball went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Grant Namy was another key player, going 2-for-3 with three RBI and one run.
Hawken always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .567. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .528 or higher in four consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Wickliffe narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Kirtland 4-2. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Blue Devils.
Liam Widemire made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than ten strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one run and one double.
In other batting news, Dominic Porcello was excellent, going 2-for-3 with three RBI and one double. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Nunzio Zivnoska, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
Hawken's win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-3. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs on average over those games. As for Wickliffe, their record now sits at 12-4.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Hawken has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Wickliffe struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Hawken took their win against Wickliffe in their previous matchup back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 10-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hawks since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
