North Murray extended their losing streak to three on Friday, dropping them down to 10-4. They fell 10-6 to the Union County Panthers. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Mountaineers, who until this game were averaging 3.43 runs allowed.
North Murray saw eight different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Blake Favors, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI. Those RBI were Favors' first of the season. Another was Hank Usrey, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
As for Union County, their win was their first in the region, bumping their region record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 6-7. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for their hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
On Union County's side, Eli Gwynn was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off seven hits. Those nine strikeouts gave Gwynn a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with two runs. He has become a key player for Union County: the team is 4-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 2-6 otherwise.
In other batting news, Bentley Rich and Lane Haney did most of the damage at the plate: Rich went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs, while Haney went 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Union County is undefeated when Haney posts two or more runs, but 3-7 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Maddox Patton, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Coming up, North Murray will look to defend their home field on Monday against Sonoraville at 5:30 p.m. Union County will be paying especially close attention to the Mountaineers' contest: after the Mountaineers face off against the Phoenix, they'll take on Union County again at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
