Baseball Recap: Rancho Takes a Loss

Rancho extended their losing streak to three on Monday, dropping their season record down to 10-15 in the process. They fell 9-4 to the Durango Trailblazers. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Trailblazers this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 9-3 last Monday.

Rancho saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Dylan Layman, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI.

As for Durango, the win was the 11th in a row for them, bringing their record up to 19-6. The team dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 10.1 runs.

On Durango's side, Alexander Mercurius was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over four innings while giving up four earned runs off only two hits. Mercurius has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances. He was even better at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in doubles (two).

In other pitching news, Luke Desoto looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. What's more, he posted four strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March.

Back at the plate, Durango let Aiden Farrell and Rocco Germano run wild. Farrell went 1-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base, while Germano got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one run. Kysyn Kauahipaula was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two runs.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Rancho will square off against Valley at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The Rams are facing the Vikings at the right time seeing as the Vikings are stuck on a ten-game losing streak. As for Durango, they will challenge Pinecrest Academy Cadence at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The Cougars have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 16.43 runs per game on average), something the Trailblazers will no doubt try to take advantage of.