The Daniel Lions will be defending their home field for the first time this season when they go up against the Hillcrest Rams at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
It was a proper cat-fight when Daniel faced off against Woodmont on Tuesday. The Lions came out on top against the Wildcats by a score of 11-6. That five-run margin sets a new team best for the Lions this season.
Corbin Spilliards was a major factor no matter where he played. He struck out six batters over three innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Spilliards was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and one run.
In other pitching news, Will Davis looked comfortable as he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits.
Eli Payne
| 03/03/26 @ Woodmont | 4 |
| 02/20/26 @ T.L. Hanna | 1 |
| 02/12/26 @ Dorman | 1 |
| 05/01/25 vs Greer | 1 |
| 04/29/25 @ Greer | 1 |
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Eli Payne, who went 4-for-5 with three runs, one double, and one RBI. Those four hits gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Jack Christmas, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double.
Daniel was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .441. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Hillcrest strolled into their game on Monday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They blew past Brookland-Cayce 14-3. Fans of the Rams have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 6+ runs.
Noah Jarolimek made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. Jarolimek was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one double and one RBI.
In other batting news, Garrett Shipman was excellent, going 2-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and one triple. Carver Youngblood was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI.
Hillcrest's victory bumped their record up to 3-0. As for Daniel, their win bumped their record up to 3-1.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Daniel has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Hillcrest struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
