The J.P. Stevens Hawks will square off against the Bernards Mountaineers at 4:15 p.m. on Monday. J.P. Stevens is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7 runs per game this season.
If J.P. Stevens beats Bernards with six runs on Monday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two matchups with that exact score. The Hawks' pitcher stepped up to hand Keyport a 6-0 shutout on Thursday. The Hawks might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 12 contests by six runs or more this season.
The result came thanks to Soham Prajapati's shutout, as he gave up just two hits and racked up eight Ks. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Chace Sullivan, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base. Arav Mago also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: J.P. Stevens kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in April.
Meanwhile, Bernards beat Parsippany 5-2 on Friday.
James Ferrante was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Ferrante was also big at the plate, going 2-for-5 with two RBI.
In other batting news, Casey Hoeckele was incredible, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one home run and one stolen base.
Bernards has been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine games. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-8 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.6 runs on average over those games. As for J.P. Stevens, their win bumped their record up to 15-7-1.
Bernards' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: J.P. Stevens hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .348. It's a different story for Bernards, though, as they've only averaged .246. Will they be able to contain J.P. Stevens' hitters? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
