The Markesan Hornets will face off against the Chilton Tigers at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Markesan will be strutting in after a win while Chilton will be coming in after a loss.
Markesan barely beat Green Lake/Princeton the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Hornets put the hurt on the Tigersharks with a sharp 11-1 victory on Thursday. The result was nothing new for the Hornets, who have now won five games by ten runs or more so far this season.
Benton VandeBerg
| 04/30/26 vs Green Lake/Princeton | 1 |
| 04/16/26 @ Fall River | 1 |
| 04/09/26 vs Montello | 2 |
Benton VandeBerg was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out nine over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. That's the most RBI he has posted over his last eight matchups.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jackson Laper, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Keaton Jerome was another key player, going 1-for-2 with three stolen bases and one run.
Meanwhile, Chilton was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They lost 8-1 to Brillion.
Chilton also got a good showing from Jacob Thielman, who pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
At the plate, Chilton saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Rayden Wagner, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base.
Chilton's loss dropped their record down to 3-6-1. As for Markesan, their win bumped their record up to 9-4.
Chilton's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Markesan has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .465. It's a different story for Chilton, though, as they've only averaged .320. Will they be able to contain Markesan's hitters?
Markesan couldn't quite get it done against Chilton in their previous meeting back in April of 2025 as they fell 9-5. Will the Hornets have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
