Baseball Preview: Eastmoor Academy Warriors vs. Northland Vikings
The Eastmoor Academy Warriors will be playing at home against the Northland Vikings at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with Eastmoor Academy sitting on 13 straight wins and Northland on three.
Eastmoor Academy is hoping to deliver their fans another blowout on Monday, just like they did against Independence (and have done all season long). Eastmoor Academy was the clear victor by a 14-4 margin over Independence on Friday.
LaBron Williams spent all five innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered four earned runs on seven hits and racked up seven Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't pitched less than five innings in four consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Eastmoor Academy let Meechie Haley and Mario Blount loose on the outfield. 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. Haley has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times he's played. Kiev West was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, Northland narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Beechcroft 5-4.
Northland also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and he was also dialed-in: Raphael Nnachetam gave up three earned (and one unearned) runs on four hits and racked up 11 Ks.
At the plate, Jarrod Singleton Jr. and Daymon Busby did most of the damage at the plate: 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. Another player making a difference was Na'Vonn Lindsey, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
Eastmoor Academy's win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-3. As for Northland, their victory bumped their record up to 9-7.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Eastmoor Academy has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 9.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Northland struggles in that department as they've been averaging 17.3. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Eastmoor Academy was able to grind out a solid win over Northland in their previous matchup back in April of 2023, winning 14-9. Does Eastmoor Academy have another victory up their sleeve, or will Northland turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
