Heyworth and El Paso-Gridley are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2017, but likely not for long. The Hornets will head out to face off against the Titans at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Heyworth is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last three games.
Heyworth is headed into the contest having just posted their closest victory since May 9, 2025 on Friday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Bloomington Central Catholic, sneaking past 3-2.
Boston Katz made a big impact no matter where he played. He pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Heyworth is 2-0-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 8-11-1 otherwise. Katz was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one triple and one double.
Braydon Laesch
| 04/24/26 @ Eureka | 4 |
| 05/08/26 @ Bloomington Central Catholic | 3 |
| 04/30/26 vs Delavan | 3 |
| 04/22/26 vs Lexington | 2 |
| 04/21/26 @ Mt. Pulaski | 2 |
| + 6 more games |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Braydon Laesch, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and one double. He has become a key player for Heyworth: the team is undefeated when he posts at least three RBI, but 7-11-2 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Carter Brooks, who went 1-for-2 with two runs.
Meanwhile, El Paso-Gridley came up short against Henry-Senachwine on Saturday and fell 18-15. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game on Thursday (ten), the Titans still had to take the loss.
Elliott Toth led a balanced group of hitters, going 2-for-5 with three runs, one double, and one RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Landon Garrels, who went 3-for-5 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
El Paso-Gridley has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 8-14 record this season. That patch can't be blamed on the team's hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.5 runs over those games. As for Heyworth, their record now sits at 10-11-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Heyworth has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like El Paso-Gridley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Heyworth got the 'W' in their previous meeting back in May of 2025 against El Paso-Gridley by a conclusive 14-3 score. Will the Hornets repeat their success, or do the Titans have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
