Baseball Recap: Hawley Comes Up Short

Hawley extended their losing streak to three on Thursday, dropping them down to 3-11. They fell 7-4 to the Staples-Motley Cardinals. If the Nuggets were looking for revenge after losing 3-2 to the Cardinals when the teams met back in May of 2025, then they'll just have to keep looking.

As for Staples-Motley, the win was the seventh in a row for them, bringing their record up to 16-3. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.9 runs on average over those games.

For Staples-Motley's part, Elijah Kossan made a splash no matter where he played. He pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Kossan has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in April.

In other batting news, Staples-Motley let Silas Claussen and Colbe Tappe run wild. Claussen went 1-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI, while Tappe went 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. That's the most runs Claussen has posted since back in April.

Looking ahead, Hawley will challenge Crookston at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The Pirates have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 9.64 runs per game on average), something the Nuggets will no doubt try to take advantage of. Staples-Motley has already played their next contest (against Sauk Centre), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing.