The Eastern Hancock Royals will square off against the Northeastern Knights at 5:30 p.m. on Monday.
Eastern Hancock is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Frankton just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Saturday. They lost 10-4 to the Eagles.
Hayden Rouse was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double. Another player making a difference was Jalen Helderbrand, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base.
Northeastern never got on the board in their matchup on Saturday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Pike on Saturday. They blew past the Red Devils 12-2. The Knights might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine games by six runs or more this season.
Northeastern let Logan White and Jarrett Leitner run wild. White went 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Leitner got on base in all three of his plate appearances with three RBI, one run, and one double. White has become a key player for Northeastern: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 5-6 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Logan Seal, who went 1-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Northeastern was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .375. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Pike only posted a batting average of .125.
Eastern Hancock's defeat dropped their record down to 5-12-1. As for Northeastern, their victory bumped their record up to 12-6.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Eastern Hancock has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Northeastern struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.6 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Eastern Hancock came up short against Northeastern when the teams last played back in May of 2024, falling 9-5. Will the Royals have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
