Preview: Issaquah Eagles vs. Newport - Bellevue Knights
Issaquah is 8-2 against Newport - Bellevue since April of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Monday. The Issaquah Eagles will head out on the road to square off against the Newport - Bellevue Knights at 5:00 p.m. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Friday, Issaquah got themselves on the board against Redmond, but Redmond never followed suit. They came out on top against the Mustangs by a score of 3-0.
Ernie Whelan tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run while striking out eight over six innings pitched. Mitchell Clark relieved him and did a solid job, pitching an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also didn't allow any walks).
At the plate, Issaquah's win was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Charlie Lydum, who went 1-for-2 with an RBI.
Meanwhile, Newport - Bellevue faced Bothell in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. Newport - Bellevue blew past Bothell 11-5. With that victory, Newport - Bellevue brought their scoring average up to 6.4 runs per game.
Newport - Bellevue also got a great performance from Lucas Clarke as he pitched six innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits (he also only allowed one walk).
On the hitting side, Julian Unay was a standout: he went 3-for-5 with four RBI, two runs, and a double. Max Wong was another key contributor, going 2-for-3 with four RBI and a double.
Issaquah pushed their record up to 3-1 with that win, which was their third straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.7 runs per game. As for Newport - Bellevue, the victory for them keeps them at an undefeated 5-0.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Issaquah has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Newport - Bellevue struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.8 per game. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Issaquah beat Newport - Bellevue 5-2 in their previous meeting back in April of 2023. Will Issaquah repeat their success, or does Newport - Bellevue have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
