The Wickliffe Blue Devils will square off against the Hawken Hawks at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Wickliffe 3.4, Hawken 3) so any runs scored will be well earned.
While Wickliffe's win against Kirtland wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Blue Devils narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past the Hornets 4-2. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Blue Devils.
Liam Widemire made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than ten strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one run and one double.
Dominic Porcello
| 05/08/25 vs Kirtland | 3 |
| 05/07/25 @ Kirtland | 1 |
| 04/29/25 @ Cardinal | 1 |
| 04/23/25 vs Berkshire | 1 |
| 04/08/25 vs Harvey | 1 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Dominic Porcello, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI and one double. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Alex Aheimer, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one run.
Meanwhile, Hawken came tearing into Tuesday's matchup with eight straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.1 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Wolverines a 10-0 shutout. Considering the Hawks have won eight games by more than nine runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Hawken let Ethan Gipson and Asher Kimball run wild. Gipson got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Kimball went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. The team also got some help courtesy of Grant Namy, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI and one run.
Hawken always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .567. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .528 or higher in four consecutive contests.
Hawken pushed their record up to 14-3 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs on average over those games. As for Wickliffe, their win bumped their record up to 12-4.
Saturday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Wickliffe has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .497. However, it's not like Hawken struggles in that department as they've averaged .452. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Wickliffe suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Hawken in their previous matchup back in April of 2023. Will the Blue Devils have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
