Baseball Recap: Evansville Reitz Comes Up Short

Evansville Reitz extended their losing streak to four on Monday, dropping their season record down to 5-8 in the process. They came up short against the Washington Hatchets, falling 12-3. The Panthers were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Hatchets apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in April of 2024.

Evansville Reitz saw eight different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Oliver Gates, who went 1-for-4 with one triple and one run. Keagan Hauke was another, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.

As for Washington, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 5-6 record this season. Their hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.

On Washington's side, Trey James made a splash while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. James has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with two runs, one double, and one RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Washington's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 3-1 (and 2-5 when he doesn't).

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ben Merold, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one home run and three runs. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Brody Clark, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two RBI and one double.

Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Evansville Reitz will take on Evansville Central at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The Panthers are facing the Bears at the right time seeing as the Bears are stuck on a five-game losing streak. As for Washington, they will square off against Southridge at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday.