The Leo Lions will face off against the Tinley Park Titans at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The timing isn't great for Leo: they have been struggling with three straight losses at home, while Tinley Park has snatched up three consecutive wins on the road.
Having struggled with seven losses in a row, Leo turned things around against Blue Island Eisenhower on Wednesday. They came out on top against the Cardinals by a score of 6-1.
The team relied heavily on Tyshawn Brown, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run. That stolen base was his first of the season. Edwin Hernandez was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
Tinley Park came out on top against Blue Island Eisenhower on Thursday thanks in part to the team's impressive nine-run fifth inning. The Titans put the hurt on the Cardinals with a sharp 13-3 victory. Considering the Titans have won nine contests by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Austin Brazitis looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. What's more, he posted three strikeouts, the most he's had over his last seven matches.
On the hitting side, Dylan Hullinger was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three stolen bases, four RBI, and one run. Those three stolen bases gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Nolan Maciejewski, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Tinley Park kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in seven consecutive games.
Tinley Park has been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-8 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.4 runs over those games. As for Leo, their victory bumped their record up to 5-9.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Leo has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Tinley Park struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
