Bluffton waltzed into their matchup on Thursday with six straight wins... but they left with seven. They had just enough and edged the Jay County Patriots out 5-4. That's more bragging rights for Bluffton, who also won the pair's last head-to-head.
Braxton Betancourt made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out 11 batters over 5.1 innings while giving up three earned runs off five hits. Betancourt has been consistent recently: he hasn't pitched less than five innings in six consecutive pitching appearances. Betancourt was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Betancourt wasn't the only one making solid contact as seven players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Aaron Streveler, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2. Streveler has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one hit in four consecutive pitching appearances. Easton Blair was another key contributor, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and a double.
On Jay County's side, they got a good showing from Aiden Phillips, who tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
On the hitting side, Sam Myers was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-4 with a home run. The team also got some help courtesy of Parker Nichols, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Bluffton's win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-5. As for Jay County, their defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 9-7.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Bluffton will take on Eastbrook at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. As for Jay County, they will look to defend their home field on Saturday against Hagerstown at 10:00 a.m. The last three games Jay County has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
