Baseball Game Preview: Saline Hornets vs. Bedford Kicking Mules

For the first time this season, Saline will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. They will head out on the road to face off against the Bedford Kicking Mules at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

Bedford will challenge a team with plenty of momentum: Saline extended their winning streak to three on Saturday. The Hornets were the clear victors by a 9-3 margin over South Lyon.

While Bedford didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-20), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They blew past Milford 11-4 on Saturday. The result was nothing new for the Kicking Mules, who have now won four games by six runs or more so far this season.

Jace Bloomer made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Bloomer was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 4-for-5.

In other batting news, Braylon Czarnik and Brody Leonhard did most of the damage at the plate: Czarnik went 2-for-4 with one home run, while Leonhard scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4. That home run marked the first that Czarnik launched this season. Another player making a difference was Jack Decker, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.

Bedford kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their hit total in three consecutive contests.

Bedford pushed their record up to 7-2 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Saline, their record now sits at 3-0.

Saline took their win against Bedford in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 9-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hornets since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.