After flying high against Randolph last Tuesday, Nixon-Smiley came back down to earth. The Nixon-Smiley Mustangs wound up on the wrong side of a tough 18-8 walloping at the hands of the Marion Bulldogs on Friday. Nixon-Smiley was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as Marion apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in April of 2023.
Hailee Houseston was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-3 with a home run, two runs, and a stolen base. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one home run the last three times she's played. Grace Gomez was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
On Marion's side, Kelli Cielencki was a standout: she scored four runs while going 3-for-6. Cielencki continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Lailah Hernandez, who scored four runs while going 4-for-6.
Nixon-Smiley has not been sharp recently as the team has lost four of their last five games, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-14 record this season. As for Marion, the victory was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 12-8.
Nixon-Smiley will look to defend their home field on Tuesday against Cole at 7:00 p.m. Nixon-Smiley is facing Cole at the right time seeing as Cole is stuck on a three-game losing streak. As for Marion, they will head out on the road to challenge Luling at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Marion is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 10.4 runs per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
