Preview: Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks at Delaware State Hornets

LEIPSIC, Del. (Interstat) — Two teams seeking momentum in a difficult season will meet Saturday when the Delaware State Hornets host the Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks in an afternoon Northeast Conference matchup at Soldier Field.

The Hornets (3-26) edged the Hawks (5-24) 5-4 on Friday to open the series, a game emblematic of both teams’ struggles to find consistent wins.

Saturday’s contest, forecast for clear skies and 63 degrees, features a intriguing pitching storyline. Maryland-Eastern Shore’s Henry Clausell, who threw five hitless, scoreless innings in relief in Friday’s loss, is a player to watch. The two-way talent has shown flashes of brilliance on the mound, including a 4 1/3-inning, seven-strikeout scoreless relief appearance against Coppin State last month, but has also been tagged for earned runs in other outings. At the plate, he hit two home runs and drove in six runs in a game against Long Island.

Delaware State will counter with Michael Lane, who earned the win Friday by striking out 11 Hawks over 6 2/3 innings despite allowing 10 hits and four earned runs. Lane has been a workhorse, logging eight innings and 10 strikeouts in a win over Fairleigh Dickinson on March 28.

Despite holding a worse overall record, Delaware State is considered the favorite by advanced metrics. Interstat’s ELO system gives the Hornets a 62.3% probability to win. However, the same outlet’s game simulator predicts a narrow 2-1 victory for the Hawks, suggesting a tight, low-scoring affair is likely.

Both lineups will look to build on Friday’s performances. For the Hawks, Julian Jimenez and Ansel Carson each homered in the loss. Delaware State’s bullpen, specifically Sean Ely and James Breen, who combined for 2 1/3 scoreless innings to close Friday’s game, will aim to provide another strong finish if called upon.

The series concludes Sunday in Leipsic.