Baseball Recap: Sparta Comes Up Short

Sparta extended their losing streak to three on Wednesday, dropping their season record down to 9-13 in the process. They fell 12-7 to the Steeleville Warriors. The Bulldogs were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Warriors apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in May of 2024.

Collin Haury was cooking despite his team's loss, going 3-for-4 with two runs and one double. He is becoming a predictor of Sparta's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 2-1 (and 7-12 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Braden Reinhardt, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs.

As for Steeleville, they are on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last ten contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-5 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.4 runs over those games.

On Steeleville's side, Trenton Ingles made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Ingles was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, three runs, and one double. That double marked the first that he has hit this season.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Braden Middendorf, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Colin Vallett, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.

Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Sparta will face off against Red Bud at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. The Bulldogs' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Musketeers have averaged an impressive 8.2 runs per game this season. As for Steeleville, they will take on Valmeyer at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. The timing is sure in the Warriors' favor as the squad sits on three straight wins at home while the Pirates have been banged up by five consecutive losses on the road.