After two games on the road, Hoover is heading back home. They will take on the Kearny Komets at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Kearny took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Hoover, who comes in off a win.
On Monday, Hoover beat Crawford 11-6.
Kristian Noriega was a major factor no matter where he played. He struck out ten batters over five innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. Noriega has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in four consecutive pitching appearances. Noriega was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Quincy Enyama-Turner was incredible, scoring a run and stealing three bases while going 4-for-4. Diego Castro was another key contributor, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Kearny was not able to break out of their rough patch two weeks ago as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They fell 8-4 to Francis Parker.
Elijah Duffy made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Nicolas Hembera, who went 2-for-3 with a stolen base and two RBI.
Hoover's victory bumped their record up to 4-8. As for Kearny, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Hoover has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Kearny struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Hoover might still be hurting after the 10-4 loss they got from Kearny when the teams last played back in April of 2023. Thankfully for Hoover, Chris Herse (who didn't allow a single earned run while striking out ten over seven innings pitched) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
