Knightstown is 1-9 against Eastern Hancock since April of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Panthers are taking a road trip to face off against the Royals at 5:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Knightstown barely beat Cowan the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Panthers put the hurt on the Blackhawks with a sharp 12-1 victory on Friday. The game was the first time the Panthers have beaten the Blackhawks on their field since April 24, 2021.
Eastern Hancock came out on top against Randolph Southern on Thursday thanks in part to the team's impressive 11-run first inning. The Royals' pitcher stepped up to hand the Rebels a 15-0 shutout. With that win, the Royals brought their scoring average up to 6.8 runs per game.
Nieko Engleking made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. Those 12 strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in two of her three plate appearances with two runs.
In other batting news, Lilli Ringer was a standout: she went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That home run was her first of the season. Addisyn Trackwell was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, three doubles, and one RBI.
Eastern Hancock was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .619. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Eastern Hancock's victory was their 14th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-6. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.4 runs over those games. As for Knightstown, their victory ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 5-5.
Knightstown might still be hurting after the 12-1 defeat they got from Eastern Hancock in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Panthers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
