Heritage Christian extended their losing streak to three on Thursday, dropping their season record down to 7-8 in the process. They were two runs away from ending the streak, but they lost a 4-2 heartbreaker at the hands of the St. Francis Mariners. The game snapped a strange streak: the last four times these teams have met, it?s been the away team that?s taken home the W.
I. Dufek put in work while hitting and pitching. He tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Dufek wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Z. Stubbs, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one RBI.
As for St. Francis, the win was the 11th in a row for them, bringing their record up to 14-6. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.5 runs over those games.
Like Heritage Christian, St. Francis also got a great game from a two-way player: Tyler Budzien. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Budzien was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Noah Heitman was excellent, going 1-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Heritage Christian will venture away from home to square off against Catholic Central at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. As for St. Francis, they will head out to challenge Cudahy at 4:45 p.m. on Friday. The Mariners are facing the Packers at the right time seeing as the Packers are stuck on a five-game losing streak.
