The IMG Academy Black Ascenders will square off against the Hollins Royals at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. IMG Academy Black will be coming into the match with an undefeated record on the line.
IMG Academy Black is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past Gulf Coast 17-2 on Monday. The result was nothing new for the Ascenders, who have now won four contests by eight runs or more so far this season.
Daiki Mochizuki looked comfortable as he struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits (and not a single walk). He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one walk any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Sebastian Wilson was a standout: he went 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. Nate Lynn was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-2.
IMG Academy Black kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in March of 2024.
Meanwhile, Hollins didn't have quite enough to beat Osceola on Monday and fell 4-2. The Royals haven't had much luck with the Warriors recently, as the team has come up short the last four times they've met.
Riley McDonald put in work no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out 14 batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off one hit. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 5.4 strikeouts per game. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one home run.
In other batting news, Teagan Davies made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run while going 4-for-4. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in hits. Alain Esquivel also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
IMG Academy Black pushed their record up to 7-0 with the win, which was their eighth straight on the road dating back to last season. As for Hollins, they now have a losing record of 3-4.
Hollins' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: IMG Academy Black hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .400. It's a different story for Hollins, though, as they've only averaged .242. Will they be able to contain IMG Academy Black's hitters?
Everything went IMG Academy Black's way against Hollins in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, as IMG Academy Black made off with a 6-0 victory. Will IMG Academy Black repeat their success, or does Hollins have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
