Baseball Recap: Stryker Comes Up Short

Stryker extended their losing streak to five on Friday, dropping their season record down to 1-14 in the process. They lost 11-2 to the North Central Eagles. The Panthers were not able to make up for their defeat to the Eagles from their previous meeting back in May of 2024.

Stryker saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was William Donovan, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run.

As for North Central, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 9-10 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.5 runs over those games.

On North Central's side, Gavin Shockley made a big impact no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out nine over 6.1 innings pitched. Shockley has become a key player for North Central: the team is 3-1 when he allows at most one hit, but 6-9 otherwise. Shockley was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two doubles, one stolen base, and two RBI. Those two doubles gave him a new career-high.

In other batting news, Briggs Fiser and Alex St. John did most of the damage at the plate: Fiser went 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI, while St. John got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three stolen bases, one run, and one double. North Central is undefeated when Fiser posts two or more runs, but 5-10 otherwise. Tyler Meyers was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.

Looking ahead, Stryker will take on Gorham Fayette at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. As for North Central, they will face off against Ayersville at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday.