The IMG Academy Black Ascenders will venture away from home to square off against the Hollins Royals at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. IMG Academy Black's pitching crew has only allowed 3.7 runs per game this season, so Hollins' hitters will have their work cut out for them.
IMG Academy Black fought the good fight in their extra-innings contest against Inspiration Academy on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Lions by a score of 5-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Ascenders have suffered since April 5, 2024.
Arnie Wu was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he tossed six innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits. What's more, he gave up only one walk, the fewest he's had since back in March.
On the hitting side, Frankie Thomas made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and got on base in four of his five plate appearances with one stolen base and one RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Juan Diaz, who scored a run while going 2-for-5.
Meanwhile, Hollins had already won three in a row and they went ahead and made it four on Friday. They blew past the Spongers 10-2. The Royals not only won on Friday, but they posted their biggest win since February 10th.
Aiden Bordner looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Hollins is 2-1 when Bordner allows one or fewer earned runs, but 6-11 otherwise.
At the plate, Aaron Anderson was excellent, going 1-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Justin Stiles, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.
Hollins' win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-12. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for IMG Academy Black, their loss ended a 12-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 16-4.
IMG Academy Black took their win against Hollins in their previous matchup back in March by a conclusive 15-5 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Ascenders since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
