The Newark Memorial Cougars will head out on the road to face off against the Irvington Vikings at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Newark Memorial is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.6 runs per game this season.
Newark Memorial barely beat Kennedy the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Cougars' pitcher stepped up to hand the Titans a 13-0 shutout on Friday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Cougars considering their two-run performance the game before.
Noah Hanohano was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 12 over seven innings pitched. He has been consistent: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in eight consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with one run and one RBI.
Julian Munoz
| 05/09/25 vs Kennedy | 2 |
| 05/03/25 vs Alameda | 1 |
| 04/04/25 vs Mission San Jose | 1 |
| 04/02/25 vs Mission San Jose | 1 |
| 03/11/25 vs Hayward | 1 |
In other batting news, Julian Munoz and Julian Ibarra did most of the damage at the plate: Munoz went a perfect 2-for-2 with four RBI, one run, and one double, while Ibarra went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. Those two hits gave Munoz a new career-high. Christian Ortiz also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Newark Memorial always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .524. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Kennedy only posted an OBP of .222.
Meanwhile, Irvington was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their sixth straight defeat. They took a 7-2 hit to the loss column at the hands of Washington. Vikings fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team's lost against the Huskies since on Friday.
The victory made it two in a row for Newark Memorial and bumps their season record up to 16-5. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.5 runs over those games. As for Irvington, their loss dropped their record down to 7-15.
Irvington's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Newark Memorial hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .314. It's a different story for Irvington, though, as they've only averaged .186. Will they be able to contain Newark Memorial's hitters?
Newark Memorial couldn't quite finish off Irvington in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 and fell 2-0. Can the Cougars avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
