The Hopewell-Loudon Chieftains will venture away from home to challenge the Seneca East Tigers at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Hopewell-Loudon is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last five games.
While Hopewell-Loudon's victory against Gibsonburg wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Chieftains narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Golden Bears 7-5. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Chieftains have posted against the Golden Bears since April 8, 2022.
Kellen Frankart was a major factor no matter where he played. He struck out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off nine hits. Those 12 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run.
Matthew Wyman
| 04/24/25 vs Gibsonburg | 3 |
| 04/16/25 @ St. Mary Central Catholic | 2 |
| 04/12/25 @ Upper Sandusky | 2 |
| 04/23/25 @ Danbury | 1 |
| 04/14/25 @ St. Joseph Central Catholic | 1 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Matthew Wyman, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.
Meanwhile, Seneca East can bid farewell to their four-game losing streak thanks to their game on Thursday. They put the hurt on Riverdale with a sharp 13-3 win. The Tigers not only won on Thursday, but they posted their biggest win since April 9th (when they won 15-2).
Like Hopewell-Loudon, Seneca East also got a great game from a two-way player: Nicolas Parks. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off one hit. Parks is becoming a predictor of Seneca East's success: when he allows at most two earned runs the team is 2-1 (and 5-6 when he doesn't). Parks was also big at the plate, going 1-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Gunner Polachek and Luke Mason did most of the damage at the plate: Polachek went 3-for-5 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run, while Mason got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Brady Bloom was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one RBI.
Seneca East kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Riverdale only managed two hits.
Hopewell-Loudon pushed their record up to 12-2 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. They've had to fight for that success though, as they only beat their opponents by an average of 3.75 runs across that stretch. As for Seneca East, the win got them back to even at 7-7.
Seneca East's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Hopewell-Loudon hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .355. It's a different story for Seneca East, though, as they've only averaged .254. Will they be able to contain Hopewell-Loudon's hitters?
Everything went Hopewell-Loudon's way against Seneca East in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, as Hopewell-Loudon made off with a 7-1 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Chieftains since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
