Berrien extended their losing streak to five on Thursday, dropping them down to 10-19. They lost 12-6 to the Lanier County Bulldogs. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Bulldogs this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 7-3 back in August.
Berrien saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was L Tucker, who went 1-for-4 with one home run. That home run marked the first that Tucker has launched this season. Another was G McMillan, who went 1-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
As for Lanier County, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine games. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games.
On Lanier County's side, Shelby McKettrick was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing four innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits. McKettrick has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk in six consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-5 with three runs, one double, and one RBI. That's the most runs she has posted since back in September.
In other batting news, Sayla Shade was incredible, firing off two home runs, five RBI, and three runs while going 5-for-5. Those five hits gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Brilee Burkhalter, who went 2-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
Coming up, Berrien will square off against Irwin County at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. The Indians' pitching crew has only allowed 1.5 runs per game this season, so the Rebels' hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Lanier County, they will challenge Atkinson County at 6:00 p.m. on Monday.
