The baseball teams at Smithsburg and South Hagerstown both have high hopes for this spring, and if all goes according to plan, we could see both squads making deep runs come playoff time.
But first, the Leopards and Rebels have a regular season to navigate, and that schedule includes a game against each other. Hard-hitting Smithsburg welcomes South Hagerstown into town on Friday in a contest we’ve deemed as our Game of the Week.
The Leopards, led by two of the area’s hottest hitters in Jaxon Teson and Mason Oates, are undefeated in April and putting up nearly 10 runs per night. Smithsburg will be favored over the Rebels, a team trying to shake off a three-game losing streak, but South Hagerstown can’t be counted out with Derek Kline and Ethan Shephard in its batting lineup.
If this game is anything like last year’s meeting, which saw the teams combine for 25 runs, Friday’s matchup could very well turn into a fireworks show.
In the weeks and months to come throughout the high school sports season, we plan on spotlighting multiple teams and sports with our Game of the Week. Any big upcoming contests we should know about? Send suggestions to Andy Sandrik via email at [email protected].
South Hagerstown at Smithsburg
First pitch: Friday, 4:45 p.m., at Smithsburg
Records: Smithsburg enters with a 5-1 record, while South Hagerstown checks in at 3-3.
Last game: The Leopards are less than 24 hours removed from a game on Thursay against Boonsboro that was tied 15-15 and suspended for darkness after six innings. South Hagerstown fell by a 5-3 score to Tuscarora.
Last meeting: Smithsburg outslugged South Hagerstown for a 13-12 victory in last season’s game.
Meet the Leopards: Coach Patrick Moore’s boys have come out of the gates swinging, averaging nearly 10 runs per game and outscoring opponents 57-26 … Smithsburg, the No. 1 team in the Class 1A West II Region standings, enters this contest on a four-game winning streak … The Leopards have been led in the early going by two players who are batting above .450: Jaxon Teson (.476) and Mason Oates (.455) … Teson, on a four-game hitting streak, has collected five extra-base hits and five RBI this season, and he leads his team in both runs (10) and stolen bases (6) … Oates, a player who’s racked up 4 doubles, 6 runs, and 8 RBI this spring, has hit safely in five of six games … Gavin Ramarge (.350) and Collin Burras (.333) have been consistent hitters and have combined for four extra-base hits, 11 runs, and 14 RBI … Other contributors include Luke Scott (.294), Ryan Darr (.286), Chase Sarber (.214), and George Mantz (.227), the last of whom will be looking to extend his hitting streak to three games … Who will be on the hill for Smithsburg? Your guess is as good as ours … Heath Githens (2.03 ERA) and Mantz (7.51 ERA) will likely be off the table after splitting five innings of work on Thursday, while Burras (0.00 ERA) has already pitched twice over the last two days … Gavin Blumenaur (2.25 ERA) tossed four innings on Wednesday, while Sarber (3.00 ERA) worked 2 1/3 innings on the same night … The freshest arm on the roster just might be Kolton Crawford (1.40 ERA), who has made two appearances this season and has struck out five batters over five innings.
Meet the Rebels: After a 3-0 start to the season, South Hagerstown enters this contest on a three-game losing streak with losses to North Hagerstown (13-3), Williamsport (13-3), and Tuscarora (5-3) … The Rebels, under the direction of first-year head coach Keith Hutzell, have outscored opponents 56-43 this spring and check in at No. 2 in the Class 4A West I Region standings … South Hagerstown has been powered by otherworldly performances at the plate from Derek Kline and Ethan Shephard … Kline has hit safely in every game and is batting .611 with two doubles, 12 runs, and six stolen bases … Shephard has recorded hits in all but one contest and is batting .571 with a double, six runs, nine RBI, and five stolen bases … Pitching around Kline and Shephard isn’t a great strategy, not with Luke Leisinger and Braydon Ocasio in the batting lineup … Leisinger is hitting .400 with four extra-base hits, four runs, and 10 RBI, while Ocasio is hitting .389 with nine runs, 7 RBI, and six stolen bases … There are plenty of other capable batters for South Hagerstown, including Logan Hammond (.333), Tyson Mangold (.300), Shawn Higgins (.300), and Grant Louchery (.200) … On the mound, Louchery (0.00 ERA) will likely be unavailable after throwing four innings on Wednesday, while Shawn Higgins (1.91 ERA) tossed four innings of his own on Monday … Tyson Mangold (6.46 ERA), who has struck out 15 batters in 13 innings, should be available to pitch, while we could see RJ Liriano (4.67 ERA) and Braydon Ocasio (5 strikeouts) see some work in relief.
Sandrik’s pick: Smithsburg by 2.
