Baseball Recap: St. Thomas More Takes a Loss

St. Thomas More extended their losing streak to three on Thursday, dropping them down to 9-11. They lost 10-0 to the Paxton-Buckley-Loda Panthers. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Sabers of the 6-2 loss they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in April of 2024.

As for Paxton-Buckley-Loda, with the victory, they broke their six-game losing streak and moved their record to 6-12. Considering their hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.

For Paxton-Buckley-Loda's part, Kayden Vance made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out nine over six innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts Vance has posted since back in March. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. He has become a key player for Paxton-Buckley-Loda: the team is 4-2 when he posts at least two runs, but 2-10 otherwise.

In other batting news, Paxton-Buckley-Loda let Dylan Vance and Jack Wesslund run wild. Vance went 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI, while Wesslund got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. Paxton-Buckley-Loda is 2-1 when Vance posts two or more runs, but 4-11 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Tyler Swan, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.

Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. St. Thomas More will take on St. Teresa at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. As for Paxton-Buckley-Loda, they will look to defend their home field on Monday against Monticello at 4:30 p.m.