Baseball Preview: Northland Vikings vs. Eastmoor Academy Warriors
The Northland Vikings will head out on the road to take on the Eastmoor Academy Warriors at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Northland comes in on three and Eastmoor Academy on 13.
On Friday, Northland narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Beechcroft 5-4.
Raphael Nnachetam spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on four hits and racked up 11 Ks.
On the hitting side, Northland let Jarrod Singleton Jr. and Daymon Busby loose on the outfield. Singleton Jr. scored a run and stole three bases while going 2-for-3, while Busby scored a run and stole three bases while going 3-for-3. Busby is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now stolen three or more in the last five games he's played. Na'Vonn Lindsey was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
Meanwhile, in what's become a running theme this season, Eastmoor Academy gave their fans yet another huge win on Friday. They blew past Independence 14-4.
Eastmoor Academy also let their pitcher toss all five innings played and he was also dialed-in: LaBron Williams gave up four earned runs on seven hits and racked up seven Ks.
At the plate, Meechie Haley and Mario Blount did most of the damage at the plate: Haley scored four runs and stole three bases while going 1-for-4, while Blount scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in four of his seven plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Kiev West, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
Northland's victory bumped their record up to 9-7. As for Eastmoor Academy, their win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-3.
Eastmoor Academy's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Northland hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .331. It's a different story for Eastmoor Academy, though, as they've only averaged .225. Will they be able to contain Northland's hitters?
Northland came up short against Eastmoor Academy in their previous matchup back in April of 2023, falling 14-9. Can Northland avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
