Irvington Preparatory Academy will challenge the Eminence Eels at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Irvington Preparatory Academy took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They were the clear victors by a 13-4 margin over Indianapolis Shortridge. The result was nothing new for Irvington Preparatory Academy, who have now won nine games by nine runs or more so far this season.
Jordan White
| 05/08/25 vs Indianapolis Shortridge | 12 |
| 04/28/25 vs Indianapolis Washington | 7 |
| 04/13/24 @ Tindley | 7 |
| 05/10/24 vs Indianapolis Washington | 3 |
| 04/25/24 @ Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter | 3 |
Jordan White tossed a big game, striking out 12 batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off one hit. Those 12 strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
On the hitting side, Cortez Jenkins was incredible, going 2-for-4 with four runs, two stolen bases, and two RBI. Irvington Preparatory Academy is 10-1 when Jenkins posts two or more runs, but 2-3 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Aiden Pollock, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last match, Eminence made sure to put some runs up on the board against Tindley on Wednesday. The Eels blew past the Tigers 15-7. The Eels haven't had any issues with the Tigers recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive win against them.
Lucien Beam made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out 16 batters over six innings while giving up six earned runs off seven hits (and not a single walk). Beam was also big at the plate, getting on base in all six of his plate appearances with three stolen bases, four runs, and two RBI. Those RBI were his first of the season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Mason Setser, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with three RBI, two runs, and one double. That double marked the first that he has hit this season. Dylan Hamblen was another key player, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Eminence always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .596. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Irvington Preparatory Academy pushed their record up to 12-4 with the victory, which was their eighth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.1 runs over those games. As for Eminence, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Irvington Preparatory Academy has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 7.6 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Eminence struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Irvington Preparatory Academy's way against Eminence in their previous meeting back in May of 2023, as Irvington Preparatory Academy made off with a 20-0 win. Does Irvington Preparatory Academy have another victory up their sleeve, or will Eminence turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
