Canton-Galva extended their losing streak (dating back to last season) to 13 on Thursday, dropping their season record down to 0-12 in the process. They fell 7-2 to the Marion Warriors. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Warriors this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 15-0 on Thursday.
Noah Collins was huge no matter where he played even without the win. He struck out 11 batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off three hits. That's the fewest hits he has allowed since back in March. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one run. Those hits marked the first that he has got this season.
In other batting news, Garrett Silsby was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and one RBI. Those hits were his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Christian Rich, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances.
As for Marion, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-7 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games.
Like Canton-Galva, Marion also got a great game from a two-way player: Jameson Looper. On the mound, he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Looper also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Marion is 2-1 when he allows at most two earned runs, but 5-6 otherwise. Looper was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played.
Looper wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Luke Watkins, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one RBI. Lane Smith was another, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
Canton-Galva will get a bit of extra time to process the defeat as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Trinity on the 29th. As for Marion, they will square off against Bennington at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
