Southwest extended their losing streak to ten on Thursday, dropping them down to 2-20. They came up short against the Rutland Hurricanes, falling 17-6. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Patriots of the 5-1 loss they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in April of 2025.
Johnnie Temple made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and went a perfect 3-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. Another player making a difference was Caron Howard, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one RBI.
As for Rutland, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 10-13. They might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight matchups by six runs or more this season.
On Rutland's side, Tate Summerday and Grayson Newberry made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Summerday tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Newberry pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, he posted five strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March. At bat, Summerday went 3-for-4 with one home run, four runs, and two stolen bases, while Newberry went 2-for-4 with four RBI and one double. Rutland is undefeated when Summerday posts two or more stolen bases, but 6-13 otherwise.
In other batting news, Khalil Washington was a standout: he went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March. Vance Hinton also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen bases of the season.
Southwest does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Rutland, they will square off against Westside at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The Seminoles have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 11.61 runs per game on average), something the Hurricanes will no doubt try to take advantage of.
