The Lexington Minutemen will challenge the Hoopeston Cornjerkers at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.
Lexington took a loss when they played away from home on Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They never let Warrensburg-Latham get on the board and left with a 10-0 victory. Considering the Minutemen have won seven games by more than six runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Braeden Barber
| 05/09/25 vs Warrensburg-Latham | 8 |
| 05/02/25 @ El Paso-Gridley | 5 |
| 04/25/25 @ Ridgeview | 10 |
| 04/14/25 vs Tremont | 5 |
| 04/09/25 vs Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley | 7 |
Not much got past Braeden Barber, who gave up just two hits and racked up eight Ks to keep Warrensburg-Latham off the board. Barber has been consistent: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Miles Lainhart, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Drake Powell, who went 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Lexington was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. They are 8-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Hoopeston got the win against Beecher on Thursday by a conclusive 7-0.
Beecher's batters probably weren't too happy with Zach Huchel, who pitched a no hitter and racked up nine Ks (he gave up three walks). Huchel also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Hoopeston is 4-2 when he allows at most one earned run, but 4-14 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Cole Miller was incredible, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double. Dallas Sheppard was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base.
Hoopeston's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-16. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. As for Lexington, their win bumped their record up to 12-10.
Hoopeston's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Lexington hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .345. It's a different story for Hoopeston, though, as they've only averaged .257. Will they be able to contain Lexington's hitters?
Lexington couldn't quite get it done against Hoopeston in their previous meeting back in May of 2023 as they fell 7-4. Can the Minutemen avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
