First, let us represent the given.
Let S be the number of hits made by Sanchez
Let W be the number of hits made by Washington
We know that the sum of their hits is equal to 216. Our equation to represent that would be:
S + W = 216
We also know that Washington had 18 more hits than Sanchez. So, W = S + 18.
We can use the second equation in place of the W in the first equation (substitution).
S + W = 216
S + (S + 18) = 216
We can now simplify the equation and solve for S.
S + (S + 18) = 216
2S + 18 = 216
2S = 198
S = 99
Then, we will use the value of S, which is 99, to solve for W.
W = S + 18
W = 99 + 18
W = 117
We can check our answer by adding S and W.
99 + 117 = 216
Therefore, Washington had 117 hits while Sanchez had 99 hits.