The Eminence Eels are taking a road trip to square off against Irvington Preparatory Academy at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
As a matter of fact, Eminence put up the most runs they have all season on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Tindley with a sharp 15-7 win. The victory continues a trend for the Eels in their matchups with the Tigers: they've now won six in a row.
Lucien Beam was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 16 batters over six innings while giving up six earned runs off seven hits (and not a single walk). Beam was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all six of his plate appearances with three stolen bases, four runs, and two RBI. Those RBI marked the first that he has brought in this season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Mason Setser, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with three RBI, two runs, and one double. That double marked the first that he has hit this season. Another player making a difference was Dylan Hamblen, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Eminence always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .596. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Tindley only posted an OBP of .410.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Irvington Preparatory Academy, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by a 13-4 margin over Indianapolis Shortridge on Thursday. The result was nothing new for Irvington Preparatory Academy, who have now won nine matchups by nine runs or more so far this season.
Irvington Preparatory Academy also got a great performance from Jordan White as he struck out 12 batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off one hit. Those 12 strikeouts gave White a new career-high.
On the hitting side, Cortez Jenkins was incredible, going 2-for-4 with four runs, two stolen bases, and two RBI. He has become a key player for Irvington Preparatory Academy: the team is 10-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 2-3 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Aiden Pollock, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run.
Irvington Preparatory Academy pushed their record up to 12-4 with the win, which was their eighth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Eminence, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Eminence has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Irvington Preparatory Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Eminence might still be hurting after the 20-0 defeat they got from Irvington Preparatory Academy in their previous meeting back in May of 2023. Can the Eels avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
