Baseball Game Preview: Clemente Wildcats vs. Hancock Eagles

The Clemente Wildcats will face off against the Hancock Eagles at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Clemente has struggled recently with three losses in a row, while Hancock will arrive with four straight victories.

Clemente managed to slip by Northside the last time these teams faced off, but didn't have those same answers this time around. The Wildcats came up short against the Mustangs on Thursday, falling 15-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Wildcats have suffered since April 14th.

Meanwhile, while Hancock put up plenty of runs on Wednesday, the same can't be said for Back of the Yards College Prep. The Eagles put the hurt on the Bobcats with a sharp 11-0 win. The Eagles might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 14 games by six runs or more this season.

Anthony Tagler made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Tagler was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and two runs. He has become a key player for Hancock: the team is 6-3 when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 8-9 otherwise.

In other batting news, Hancock let Ryan Ostrowski and Eduardo Hernandez run wild. Ostrowski went 1-for-2 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs, while Hernandez went 1-for-2 with one home run, two stolen bases, and two runs. Hernandez is becoming a predictor of Hancock's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is 10-3 (and 4-9 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of David Rosales, who got on base in both of his plate appearances with three stolen bases and two runs.

Hancock's victory bumped their record up to 14-12. As for Clemente, their loss dropped their record down to 12-10.