Baseball Recap: King Comes Up Short

King extended their losing streak to three on Thursday, dropping them down to 3-9. They lost 19-2 to the Hamden Hall Country Day Hornets. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Hornets this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 6-0 on Tuesday.

As for Hamden Hall Country Day, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven games. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-5 record this season. Their hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.

For Hamden Hall Country Day's part, Billy Cole and A.J. Park were major factors while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Cole tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Park struck out six batters over three innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off six hits (and only one walk). Cole has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in 13 consecutive appearances. At bat, Cole went a perfect 2-for-2 with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base, while Park went a perfect 1-for-1 with two runs and one RBI. Those four RBI gave Cole a new career-high.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Amato Civitello, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, three stolen bases, and five RBI. He has been hot recently, having posted three or more RBI the last three times he's played. Sam Castro was another key player, going 3-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double.

Looking ahead, King will square off against Harvey at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. The Vikings will need to watch out since the Cavaliers have now posted at least ten runs in their last three contests. As for Hamden Hall Country Day, they are taking a road trip to challenge Choate Rosemary Hall School at 4:45 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (the Hornets 2.9, the Wild Boars 3.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.