Baseball Recap: Aiken Takes a Loss

Aiken had lost four straight at home, but on Tuesday they dropped their record down to 8-14 to make it five. They fell 4-1 to the Batesburg-Leesville Panthers. That's two games in a row now that the Fighting Green Hornets have lost by exactly three runs.

Aiken got a good showing from Aiden Morris, who pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. That's the first time Morris hasn't allowed a single earned run since back in March.

On the hitting side, Aiken saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Tyler Tindall, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base and one run.

As for Batesburg-Leesville, they are on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-4-1 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.9 runs on average over those games.

On Batesburg-Leesville's side, Tanner Watkins was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Watkins has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one hit in three consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. That home run marked the first that he has launched this season.

In other pitching news, Tyler Kneece tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits over five innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.

Back at the plate, Braydon Hallman was excellent, going 1-for-3 with one home run.

While Aiken had to take the loss, they won't have to wait long to give it another shot: the pair's next game is a rematch scheduled at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday.