Eastern Hancock has gone a perfect 4-0 against Irvington Preparatory Academy recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Royals will be playing at home against Irvington Preparatory Academy at 5:30 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Eastern Hancock comes in on three and Irvington Preparatory Academy on five.
Eastern Hancock will bounce into Friday's matchup after beating Indianapolis Scecina Memorial, who they had gone 0-6 against in their six prior meetings. The Royals were the clear victors by an 11-3 margin over the Crusaders on Thursday. The Royals not only won on Thursday, but they posted their biggest win since April 30th (when they won 13-2).
Hayden Rouse
| 05/15/25 @ Indianapolis Scecina Memorial | 2 |
| 04/30/25 vs Anderson Prep Academy | 1 |
| 04/17/25 @ Wapahani | 1 |
| 04/10/25 @ Cowan | 1 |
| 05/21/24 @ Irvington Preparatory Academy | 1 |
Hayden Rouse was incredible, going 3-for-5 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two doubles. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Kolt Wilson, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Eastern Hancock kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Indianapolis Scecina Memorial only managed five hits.
Meanwhile, Irvington Preparatory Academy made easy work of Liberty Christian on Monday and carried off a 15-4 win. The result was nothing new for Irvington Preparatory Academy, who have now won 12 contests by nine runs or more so far this season.
Matthew Brooks made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits. Brooks was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with two RBI and one run.
In other batting news, Aiden Pollock was a standout: he went a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. He has been hot recently, having posted three or more RBI the last four times he's played. Another player making a difference was Cortez Jenkins, who went 1-for-2 with one home run and three runs.
Irvington Preparatory Academy pushed their record up to 16-4 with the victory, which was their 12th straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Eastern Hancock, their victory bumped their record up to 5-11-1.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Eastern Hancock has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Irvington Preparatory Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Eastern Hancock was able to grind out a solid win over Irvington Preparatory Academy when the teams last played back in May of 2024, winning 22-18. Do the Royals have another victory up their sleeve, or will Irvington Preparatory Academy turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
