Rockets
| 05/09/25 vs Washington | 8-5 |
| 05/06/25 vs MacArthur | 18-3 |
| 05/05/25 vs Olympia | 11-0 |
Rochester lost to Washington back in May of 2023, but they didn't allow them the same satisfaction on Friday. The Rockets came out on top against the Panthers by a score of 8-5. Winning may never get old, but the Rockets sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.
Ajay Runkel made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with one home run and three RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April.
In other batting news, Sam Ferris was excellent, going 2-for-3 with one home run. Landen Kerns also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
Rochester's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-7. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.7 runs on average over those games. As for Washington, they moved to 18-8 with that defeat, which also ended their five-game winning streak.
Rochester and Washington should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps Illinois Rankings. The Rockets (ranked 69th) will meet Springfield (ranked 298th) at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Washington will square off against Bloomington at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday with a big rank advantage (26 vs. 185). The two teams have allowed few runs on average (the Panthers 3.5, the Purple Raiders 3.9) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
