The Hamilton Southeastern Royals will venture away from home to challenge the Lapel Bulldogs at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Hamilton Southeastern has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the matchup with five straight losses, while Lapel will come in with ten straight victories.
Avon hit Hamilton Southeastern with a eight-run fifth inning on Thursday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Royals fell just short of the Orioles by a score of 10-9. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since April 20, 2022, but that streak is no more.
Hamilton Southeastern got a good showing from Josh Lesniewksi, who pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. That's the fewest earned runs Lesniewksi has allowed over his last four games.
On the hitting side, Trey McManama made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with one home run and four RBI. He also put up a run, which was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Clark Bucher, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one double.
Meanwhile, Lapel made easy work of Eastern Hancock on Wednesday and carried off a 12-1 win. The result was nothing new for the Bulldogs, who have now won seven contests by seven runs or more so far this season.
Hogan Bair made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, earning one RBI, one run, and one stolen base.
In other batting news, Lapel let Darl Gustin and Eli Suchocki run wild. Gustin went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base, while Suchocki went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI. Ray Smith was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with four RBI and one double.
Lapel was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .519. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .318 or higher in eight consecutive matches.
Hamilton Southeastern's defeat dropped their record down to 4-10. As for Lapel, their victory was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 10-0.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Hamilton Southeastern has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Lapel struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Hamilton Southeastern came out on top in a nail-biter against Lapel when the teams last played back in April of 2024, sneaking past 5-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Royals since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
