Baseball Recap: Belding Takes a Loss

Belding extended their losing streak to eight on Monday, dropping their season record down to 1-8 in the process. They lost 12-0 to the Hopkins Vikings. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Vikings this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 15-5 on Monday.

As for Hopkins, the win (which was their eighth in a row) raised their record to 14-6. Considering they have won eight contests by more than six runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.

For Hopkins' part, the result came thanks to Christian Smigiel's shutout, as he gave up just a hit and racked up ten Ks. Smigiel has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Trent Smith, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double. He has been hot recently, having posted three or more hits the last three times he's played. Kellen Ford was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.

We've got plenty of inter-league action coming up soon. Belding will square off against rival Kelloggsville at 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Hopkins is set to take on their familiar foe Godwin Heights at 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday. The timing is sure in the Vikings' favor as the squad sits on three straight wins at home while the Wolverines have been banged up by four consecutive losses on the road.