The University City Lions will venture away from home to challenge the Hazelwood Central Hawks at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. University City has given up an average of 12.2 runs per game this season, but Monday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
University City barely beat St. Mary's the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Lions blew past the Dragons 24-14 on Thursday. Considering the Lions' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Meanwhile, Hazelwood Central entered their tilt with STEAM Academy at McCluer South Berkeley on Wednesday with three consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with four. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Bulldogs, sneaking past 7-5.
Jace Dickson was a major factor no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 13 over 5.1 innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one hit in seven consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Hazelwood Central's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is undefeated (and 1-2 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, John Shelton and Julius Reed did most of the damage at the plate: Shelton went 2-for-4 with one stolen base and two RBI, while Reed went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and one run. Reed is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged two or more in each of the last five games he's played. Caleb Robinson also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
Hazelwood Central's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-2. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for University City, their win ended a six-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 2-2.
University City took their victory against Hazelwood Central in their previous meeting back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 15-2 score. Do the Lions have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Hawks turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
