Licking Heights is 1-9 against Watkins Memorial since April of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Hornets will host the Warriors at 5:00 p.m. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Having struggled with 11 defeats in a row, Licking Heights turned things around against Johnstown-Monroe on Wednesday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past the Johnnies 6-5. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last six times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Brady Pennington
| 04/30/25 vs Johnstown-Monroe | 3 |
| 03/29/25 @ Lancaster | 1 |
| 05/08/24 vs Reynoldsburg | 1 |
| 04/23/24 vs Lakewood | 4 |
Brady Pennington was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. What's more, he posted three strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
In other pitching news, Johnny Morgan looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single hit and allowed only two earned runs over four innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Maxim Fink, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Richard Hill II, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run and one RBI.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Watkins Memorial ultimately got the result they hoped for on Wednesday. They had just enough and edged out Newark Catholic 6-5. The win continues a trend for the Warriors in their matchups with the Green Wave: they've now won four in a row.
Logan Grezlik tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over six innings pitched.
At the plate, Cam Burt and Jax Dotson did most of the damage at the plate: Burt got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one stolen base, while Dotson went a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Watkins Memorial pushed their record up to 7-4 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Licking Heights, their victory was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-10 and their overall record up to 2-13.
Licking Heights couldn't quite get it done against Watkins Memorial when the teams last played back in April as they fell 5-2. Will the Hornets 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.
