The Damascus Hornets will face off against the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Barons at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Damascus will be looking to extend their current eight-game winning streak.
Damascus' pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Monday. Everything went their way against Watkins Mill as they made off with a 22-0 win. The Hornets might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven contests by six runs or more this season.
Ryan Chidakel and Joe Stack made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Chidakel pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Stack tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. The dominant performance also gave Chidakel a new career-high in strikeouts (four). At the plate, Chidakel went a perfect 1-for-1 with two RBI, one run, and one double, while Stack went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and two RBI.
In other pitching news, Ryan Mungra looked comfortable as he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks any time he's pitched this season.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Jake Lokos, who fired off two home runs and five RBI while going 2-for-2. Those two home runs gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Colin Stadtler, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs.
Damascus was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .692. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 19 runs the game before, Bethesda-Chevy Chase was a bit more limited in their matchup on Monday. They fell 4-1 to Sherwood. The Barons have struggled against the Warriors recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive lost meeting.
Bethesda-Chevy Chase saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Will Adkinson, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one run.
Bethesda-Chevy Chase's defeat dropped their record down to 2-2. As for Damascus, their victory bumped their record up to 13-2.
Bethesda-Chevy Chase's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday. Damascus has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.7 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Bethesda-Chevy Chase, though, as they've been averaging only 3.2 strikeouts. Will Damascus keep running through batters, or will the Barons buck the trend?
Damascus might still be hurting after the 19-10 loss they got from Bethesda-Chevy Chase when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Will the Hornets have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
