Stevens extended their losing streak to three on Friday, dropping them down to 13-13-1. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 6-5 heartbreaker at the hands of the O'Connor Panthers. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Panthers this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 12-1 on Monday.
Aaron Sanchez was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was John Tejeda, who went 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
As for O'Connor, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 9-14-3 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.7 runs on average over those games.
On O'Connor's side, Ryan Zaiontz looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Zaiontz has become a key player for the Panthers: the team is 4-1-2 when he allows at most three hits, but 5-13-1 otherwise.
At the plate, Rudy Perez was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. He is becoming a predictor of O'Connor's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 3-1-1 (and 6-13-2 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Gabe Chavana, who went 2-for-3 with two doubles, one stolen base, and two RBI.
We've got plenty of inter-district action coming up soon. Stevens is set to take on their familiar foe Marshall at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Meanwhile, O'Connor will face off against rival Taft at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
