Baseball Game Preview: Northeastern Knights vs. Eastern Hancock Royals

The Northeastern Knights will challenge the Eastern Hancock Royals at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. The last three games Northeastern has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.

Northeastern is headed into the matchup having just suffered their closest defeat since April 13th on Saturday. They fell just short of Triton Central by a score of 5-3.

Meanwhile, Eastern Hancock earned an 11-6 win over Centerville on Saturday.

Caleb Retherford made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in five consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.

In other batting news, Gavin Jenkins was a standout: he got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last four games he's played. Wes Engleking was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.

Northeastern's loss ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 13-5. As for Eastern Hancock, their victory bumped their record up to 13-7.

Northeastern got the 'W' in their previous matchup back in May of 2025 against Eastern Hancock by a conclusive 11-3 score. Will the Knights repeat their success, or do the Royals have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.