For the second straight game, McNair Academic will face off against Kearny. The Cougars will face off against the Kardinals at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
McNair Academic is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Kearny just ended the team's seven-game winning streak on Monday. They lost 13-3 to the Kardinals. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Cougars have suffered since April 9th.
For Kearny's part, Jayden Diaz was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He struck out eight batters over 6.2 innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. Diaz has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. He has become a key player for Kearny: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 2-6 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Julian Butler, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. That stolen base was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Kevin Kinsley, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
Kearny always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .591. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Kearny is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-6 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for McNair Academic, their loss dropped their record down to 11-3.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
