With a playoff win on the line, Hanford rose to the challenge on Friday. They came out on top against the Independence Falcons by a score of 8-4 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game). That result was just more of the same for these two, as the Bullpups also won the last time the pair played back in March of 2017.
Cole Leskanic made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out ten batters over 4.2 innings while giving up three earned runs off three hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one double.
Aiden Smith
| 05/16/25 vs Independence | 2 |
| 04/14/25 vs Placer | 1 |
| 03/21/25 vs Dinuba | 1 |
| 03/19/24 @ Tulare Union | 1 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Aiden Smith, who went 2-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run. Those two doubles gave him a new career-high. Manny Souza was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
Hanford was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
The win got Hanford back to even at 14-14. As for Independence, they dropped their record down to 15-15 with the defeat, which was their sixth straight on the road.
Looking ahead, Hanford will challenge Hoover at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The Patriots' pitching crew has only allowed 2.9 runs per game this season, so the Bullpups' hitters will have their work cut out for them. Independence does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
