Green Level dropped to 5-7 on Thursday, ending the team's three-game streak of wins at home. They fell just short of the Apex Friendship Patriots by a score of 7-6. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Patriots this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 5-1 on Tuesday.
Luke Talley was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. Another player making a difference was Ben Bernard, who earned one RBI, one run, and one stolen base.
As for Apex Friendship, their victory was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-5. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.6 runs over those games.
On Apex Friendship's side, Owen Cirasole made a splash while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run over 5.2 innings pitched. Cirasole also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Apex Friendship is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 3-5 otherwise. Cirasole was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with four RBI and one triple. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Braden Bloom was incredible, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Apex Friendship's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is undefeated (and 4-5 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Connor Sousa, who went 3-for-4 with two doubles and one run.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming matchups. Green Level will face off against West Columbus at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Apex Friendship, they will challenge Ardrey Kell at 6:00 p.m. on Monday.
