Baseball Recap: Center Comes Up Short

Center extended their losing streak to 14 on Thursday, dropping them down to 0-14. They came up short against the Dolores Bears, falling 20-0. The Vikings were not able to make up for their defeat to the Bears from their previous meeting back in April of 2025.

As for Dolores, their victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-8. That looming 20-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for them yet this season.

For Dolores' part, Hayden Lancaster made a splash while hitting and pitching. He struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Lancaster has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in seven consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and one stolen base. He is becoming a predictor of Dolores' success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 4-1 (and 3-7 when he doesn't).

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Levi Hampton, who went 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. Dolores is 6-2 when Hampton posts two or more runs, but 1-6 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Gus Vaughn, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double.

Coming up, Center is taking a road trip to challenge Dove Creek at 11:00 a.m. on Friday. The Vikings' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Bulldogs have averaged an impressive 6.2 runs per game this season. As for Dolores, they will look to defend their home field on Saturday against Del Norte at 12:00 p.m. The Tigers have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 13.62 runs per game on average), something the Bears will no doubt try to take advantage of.