Hazel Park is 7-2 against Fitzgerald since April of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Vikings will head out on the road to square off against the Spartans at 4:30 p.m. Hazel Park will be strutting in after a win while Fitzgerald will be coming in after a defeat.
For some reason, the away team has come away with the win the last three times Hazel Park and Center Line have met, but the home crowd finally got their W on Wednesday. The Vikings came out on top against the Panthers by a score of 10-5. The Vikings haven't had any issues with the Panthers recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive victory against them.
Austin Small
| 04/16/25 @ Clintondale | 3 |
| 04/12/25 vs South Lake | 3 |
| 04/23/25 vs Center Line | 2 |
| 04/17/25 vs Sterling Heights | 2 |
| 04/14/25 vs Lincoln | 1 |
| + 2 more games |
Zay Justice and Austin Small did most of the damage at the plate: Justice went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Small went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Small has become a key player for Hazel Park: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 4-5 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Thomas Barkle, who earned one run and two stolen bases.
Hazel Park was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Center Line only posted a batting average of .143.
Clawson hit Fitzgerald with a four-run fourth inning on Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Spartans came up short against the Trojans, falling 12-2.
Thomas Baranski made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one stolen base and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Dylan Bush, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and one run.
Hazel Park's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-5. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.4 runs on average over those games. As for Fitzgerald, their loss dropped their record down to 6-4.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Hazel Park has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 9.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Fitzgerald struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Hazel Park took their win against Fitzgerald in their previous meeting back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 11-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Vikings since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
