Mulberry fought the good fight in their extra-innings contest against Fort Meade on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They took an 8-3 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Fort Meade Miners. Mulberry was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as Fort Meade apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played last Tuesday.
Marissa Malkowski spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and five unearned) runs on ten hits. Those eight innings set a new season-high mark for her.
On the hitting side, Abbey Davis made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Lorianys Castanon Cruz, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
On Fort Meade's side, they also let their pitcher toss all eight innings and she was also dialed-in: Ryleigh Grace gave up just two earned runs on seven hits. Grace has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one walk in five consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Nakaia Pinkston, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, a triple, and two RBI. Kenya Faulk was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 3-for-4.
Mulberry has been struggling recently as they've lost six of their last eight matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 11-9 record this season. As for Fort Meade, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 14-8.
Mulberry will head out on the road to square off against Lake Region at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Mulberry is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8 runs per game this season. As for Fort Meade, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Santa Fe Catholic at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Fort Meade is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10 runs per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
