Federal Hocking had lost 16 straight at home dating back to last season, but on Tuesday they dropped their record down to 0-10 to make it 17. They came up short against the Eastern Eagles, falling 26-0. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Eagles this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 16-0 two weeks ago.
As for Eastern, they are on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-2 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.0 runs over those games.
For Eastern's part, Mason Shepherd made a big impact no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Those ten strikeouts gave Shepherd a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and two RBI.
In other batting news, Eastern got a massive performance out of Ayden Wilhelm, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. That's the most hits Wilhelm has posted since back in March. Ethan Edwards was another key player, getting on base in four of his six plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Federal Hocking will challenge Nelsonville-York at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. As for Eastern, they will take on Belpre at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
