04/16/24 - Away | 0-13 L |
05/01/23 - Home | 1-4 L |
05/20/21 - Home | 9-4 W |
05/20/21 - Home | 9-4 W |
04/12/19 - Home | 3-9 L |
+ 5 more games |
Hightstown and Hopewell Valley Central are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2015, but likely not for long. The Rams will look to defend their home field on Monday against the Bulldogs at 4:00 p.m. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Hopewell Valley Central will square off against a team with plenty of momentum: Hightstown extended their winning streak to five on Saturday. The Rams never let Nottingham get on the board and left with a 12-0 win. The Rams might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four contests by ten runs or more this season.
Anthony Benitez made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits over five innings pitched. Benitez was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and one stolen base.
In other batting news, Daniel Krier was a standout: he went 3-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Peyton Atlak was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
Hightstown always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .586. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Hopewell Valley Central can bid farewell to their three-game losing streak thanks to their game on Wednesday. They were the clear victors by a 6-0 margin over Steinert.
Like Hightstown, Hopewell Valley Central also got a great game from a two-way player: Blake Echternacht. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out six over seven innings pitched. Echternacht was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Chase Garrow, who went 2-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season.
Hightstown pushed their record up to 10-1 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.0 runs over those games. As for Hopewell Valley Central, their victory bumped their record up to 2-5-1.
Hopewell Valley Central's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Monday. Hightstown has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.6 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Hopewell Valley Central, though, as they've been averaging only 4.1 strikeouts. Will Hightstown keep running through batters, or will the Bulldogs buck the trend?
Hightstown might still be hurting after the 13-0 loss they got from Hopewell Valley Central in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Will the Rams 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.