Federal Hocking is 1-9 against Eastern since April of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Lancers will face off against the Eagles at 5:00 p.m.
On Thursday, Federal Hocking came up short against Belpre and fell 9-5.
Brody Rutter
| 04/16/26 vs Belpre | 9 |
| 04/11/26 @ Western | 6 |
| 04/06/26 @ Miller | 7 |
Brody Rutter spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered six earned (and three unearned) runs on nine hits and racked up nine Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Tristyn Bowers was cooking despite his team's loss, getting on base in two of his four plate appearances with three stolen bases and two runs. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 1.1 stolen bases per game. Hunter Calentine-Weekley also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
Meanwhile, Eastern had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 13.7 runs) and they went ahead and made it four on Thursday. They came out on top against the Wildcats by a score of 7-2.
Eastern also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and he was also dialed-in: Clayton Moore gave up just two earned runs on seven hits and racked up nine Ks.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Hunter Needs, who went 2-for-4 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run. Ethan Edwards was another key player, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases and one run.
Eastern was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .379. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .333 or higher in five consecutive matchups.
Federal Hocking's loss dropped their record down to 1-10. As for Eastern, their record is now 9-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Federal Hocking has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Eastern struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Federal Hocking might still be hurting after the 25-1 defeat they got from Eastern in their previous meeting on April 2nd. Can the Lancers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
