Baseball Recap: Pickerington Central Comes Up Short

Pickerington Central had lost three straight on the road, but on Friday they dropped down to 10-11-1 to make it four. They took a 6-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Upper Arlington Golden Bears. The Tigers were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Golden Bears apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in April of 2023.

Pickerington Central saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jack Norris, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one run.

As for Upper Arlington, they have been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-12 record this season. That looming 6-1 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for them yet this season.

On Upper Arlington's side, Will Gilmore was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run over 5.1 innings pitched. Gilmore was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two RBI. Those two RBI gave him a new career-high.

In other pitching news, Connor Hagkull looked comfortable as he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one walk in eight consecutive appearances.

Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Max McConnell, who went 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one double. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Ross Szollosi, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Pickerington Central will square off against Anthony Wayne at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. As for Upper Arlington, they will challenge Bloom-Carroll at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.