The Highland Hawks will head out on the road to take on the Washington Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Highland's pitching crew has only allowed three runs per game this season, so Washington's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Highland put the finishing touches on their fifth blowout victory of the season on Saturday. They blew past Life Christian Academy 16-0. While fans of Highland might be used to big wins, the 16-run margin marked the team's biggest win yet this season.
Owen Winebarger and Weston Lillard dominated on the mound. Winebarger tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also didn't allow any walks), while Lillard pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also didn't allow any walks). Winebarger has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Ethan Brown was a standout: he scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances. Kehler Hamilton was another key contributor, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-2.
Meanwhile, Washington fell victim to a tough 13-3 loss at the hands of St. James on Saturday.
Washington saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Robby Lopez, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Highland pushed their record up to 9-3 with that victory, which was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.2 runs per game. As for Washington, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-5.
Highland came out on top in a nail-biter against Washington in their previous meeting back in April of 2023, sneaking past 9-8. The rematch might be a little tougher for Highland since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps