Baseball Recap: Valley Lutheran Takes a Loss

Valley Lutheran extended their losing streak to three on Thursday, dropping their season record down to 3-7 in the process. They came up short against the Anthem Prep Eagles, falling 11-1. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Eagles this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 26-3 last Saturday.

Valley Lutheran saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brennan Larson, who went 2-for-3 with two doubles.

As for Anthem Prep, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-8 record this season. The result was nothing new for Anthem Prep, who have now won seven matches by eight runs or more so far this season.

On Anthem Prep's side, Jaxon MacHugh made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Those 11 strikeouts gave MacHugh a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. He is becoming a predictor of Anthem Prep's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 6-3 (and 1-5 when he doesn't).

In other batting news, Ricky Orta was a standout: he went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two doubles. Those two doubles gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Matthew Starr, who went 3-for-4 with three doubles, two runs, and two RBI.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Valley Lutheran will welcome Desert Heights Prep at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday. The Flames' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Yote have averaged an impressive 10.5 runs per game this season. As for Anthem Prep, they will look to defend their home field on Friday against Bagdad at 3:00 p.m.