vs
| 05/04/19 - Neutral | 11-7 W |
| 05/05/18 - Away | 4-5 L |
| 05/19/17 - Away | 7-8 L |
| 05/19/17 - Away | 12-1 W |
| 05/06/17 - Away | 2-1 W |
| 05/20/16 - Away | 4-8 L |
Hopkins and Wayland are an even 3-3 against one another since May of 2016, but likely not for long. Hopkins will host Wayland at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Hopkins is headed into the contest having just posted their closest win since May 4, 2024 last Friday. They skirted past Plainwell 8-6. The victory continues a trend for the Vikings in their matchups with the Trojans: they've now won three in a row.
Kellen Ford was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out ten over 4.1 innings pitched. Ford was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Landen Dandrow, who scored two runs while going 1-for-1. Another player making a difference was Christian Smigiel, who scored two runs while going 1-for-4.
Meanwhile, Wayland put another one in the bag on Thursday to keep their perfect season alive. They were the clear victors by an 11-3 margin over Union.
Will Lodenstein tossed a big game, striking out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits.
On the hitting side, Bredan Byrne was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing four bases while going 1-for-3. Byrne is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: he's snagged at least one every time he's taken the field this season. Trent Sikkema was another key player, scoring a run and stealing three bases while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
Wayland pushed their record up to 3-0 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Hopkins, the win got them back to even at 1-1.
Hopkins was able to grind out a solid victory over Wayland in their previous matchup back in May of 2019, winning 11-7. Does Hopkins have another victory up their sleeve, or will Wayland turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
