The Hiawatha Hawks are taking a road trip to take on the Hinckley-Big Rock Royals at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Hiawatha is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.3 runs per game this season.
On Friday, Hiawatha got the win against Christian Liberty by a conclusive 14-2. The win continues a trend for the Hawks in their matchups with the Chargers: they've now won three in a row.
Thomas Giebel
| 04/25/25 vs Christian Liberty | 3 |
| 05/06/24 vs Earlville/Leland | 2 |
| 04/05/24 @ Christian Liberty | 2 |
| 04/19/25 vs Alden-Hebron | 1 |
| 04/12/25 @ Alden-Hebron | 1 |
Colby Wylde and Thomas Giebel made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Wylde tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. Meanwhile, Giebel struck out six batters over 2.2 innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits (and only one walk). Wylde also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Hiawatha is 2-1 when he allows at most two earned runs, but 4-6 otherwise. At the plate, Wylde went a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple, while Giebel got on base in all four of his plate appearances with three stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. Those three stolen bases gave Giebel a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Bentley Payne, who went 3-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Hiawatha's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 3-7 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Tommy Butler, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Hiawatha was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .545. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Hinckley-Big Rock lost 12-6 to North Boone on Saturday. The Royals have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Hiawatha's record is now 6-7. As for Hinckley-Big Rock, their loss dropped their record down to 7-9-1.
Hiawatha suffered a grim 11-1 defeat to Hinckley-Big Rock when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can the Hawks avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
