Pleasant Valley extended their losing streak to four on Friday, dropping their season record down to 12-12 in the process. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 7-6 heartbreaker at the hands of the Chico Panthers. Unfortunately, that's the fourth time they've come up short against the Panthers this season, with their most recent defeat being a 4-2 loss on Tuesday.
Pleasant Valley saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Dominic Borges, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Another was Scotty McKeown, who went 3-for-4 with one run.
As for Chico, their victory was their 16th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 22-1. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.2 runs on average over those games.
On Chico's side, Jaden Neugebauer was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and four unearned) runs off seven hits. That's the most strikeouts Neugebauer has posted since back in March. He was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Abrahan Medina was incredible, going 1-for-2 with one home run and two RBI. That home run marked the first that he has launched this season. Blake Bettencourt was another key player, going 1-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double.
Pleasant Valley wasted no time getting back out on the field and has already played their next contest, a 10-0 victory against Shasta on the 29th. As for Chico, they also didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next matchup, a 7-3 win against Foothill on the 29th.
