The Hoover Vikings will head out on the road to take on the North Royalton Bears at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Hoover's pitching crew has only allowed 2.8 runs per game this season, so North Royalton's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
On Friday, Hoover came up short against Twinsburg and fell 4-1. The Vikings have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Meanwhile, North Royalton had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 3 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They had just enough and edged out the Greenmen 3-1.
Ben Baracz spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on five hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Antonio Escano, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base and one run. Zach Horiba also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
North Royalton hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least five batters in seven consecutive matches.
North Royalton's win bumped their record up to 12-10. As for Hoover, their loss dropped their record down to 13-10.
Hoover's speedy runners might be the difference in Monday's contest. The Vikings have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.1 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for North Royalton, though, as they've been averaging only 1.1 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Hoover continue to outrun the ball? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
