The Eastern Hancock Royals are taking a road trip to challenge the Monroe Central Golden Bears at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Eastern Hancock is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 13 runs per game this season.
While Eastern Hancock didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-15-1), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They blew past Wes-Del 20-1 on Tuesday. The game was the first time the Royals have beaten the Warriors on their field since April 26, 2018.
Aidan Morris spent all five innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on six hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
Gavin Jenkins
| 04/28/26 @ Wes-Del | 4 |
| 04/23/26 vs Randolph Southern | 3 |
| 04/22/26 @ Lapel | 3 |
| 04/21/26 @ Daleville | 2 |
| 04/20/26 @ Blue River Valley | 1 |
| + 5 more games |
On the hitting side, Gavin Jenkins was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, four runs, and five RBI. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 2.1 runs per game. Another player making a difference was Brennan Noah, who went 3-for-4 with three runs, two doubles, and two RBI.
Eastern Hancock always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .571. They are a perfect 5-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Monroe Central was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their seventh straight defeat. They took a 5-2 hit to the loss column at the hands of Wapahani. Having soared to a lofty 11 runs in the game before, the Golden Bears couldn't push the score so high this time.
Monroe Central saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kyler Bogue, who went 1-for-3 with one home run. That home run marked the first that Bogue has launched this season.
The victory made it two in a row for Eastern Hancock and bumps their season record up to 7-3. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 1 runs in those games. As for Monroe Central, their loss dropped their record down to 4-11.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Eastern Hancock has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Monroe Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.6 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Eastern Hancock came up short against Monroe Central in their previous matchup back in May of 2025, falling 7-3. Can the Royals avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
