The Mentor Cardinals will head out on the road to square off against the Hoover Vikings at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Mentor will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each game than the last.
Mentor barely beat Twinsburg the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Cardinals blew past the Tigers 8-1 on Friday. The Cardinals not only won on Friday, but they posted their biggest win since April 22nd (when they won 12-5).
Peter Kennedy looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Jake McCartney, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two runs. Another player making a difference was Tyler Black, who went 1-for-3 with three RBI and one triple.
The home team had won the previous three meetings between Hoover and Louisville, and Hoover kept the tradition alive. The Vikings narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past the Leopards 4-3. The win was some much needed relief for the Vikings as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.
Jack Andes made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). Those seven strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with four stolen bases and three runs. He is becoming a predictor of Hoover's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 8-11 when he doesn't).
Andes wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Roman Geiselman, who went 2-for-4 with one RBI.
Hoover's record now sits at 14-11. As for Mentor, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 19-5 record this season.
Mentor skirted past Hoover 6-5 in their previous matchup back in April of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cardinals since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
