Starks had lost three straight on the road, but on Monday they dropped down to 7-9 to make it four. They lost 12-1 to the Washington-Marion Chargin' Indians. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Chargin' Indians this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 30-8 last Friday.
Starks saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brock Barlow, who went 1-for-2 with one run.
As for Washington-Marion, their win ended a five-game drought at home and bumped them up to 11-14. Considering they have won nine matchups by more than nine runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
On Washington-Marion's side, R'Lon Porter made a splash while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over four innings pitched. What's more, Porter posted five strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Washington-Marion is 5-1 when Porter posts two or more runs, but 6-13 otherwise.
In other batting news, Washington-Marion let Joseph Simien Jr. and J'Vonte Benard run wild. Simien Jr. got on base in all three of his plate appearances with four stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI, while Benard went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI. Simien Jr. has become a key player for Washington-Marion: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 9-13 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Amir Tezeno, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
Looking ahead, Starks will be playing at home against Reeves at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. As for Washington-Marion, they are taking a road trip to face off against Eunice at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
