South Mountain extended their losing streak (dating back to last season) to 27 on Thursday, dropping their season record down to 0-21 in the process. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost an 11-10 heartbreaker at the hands of the Maryvale Panthers. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Panthers this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 8-3 on Tuesday.
Fabian Vargas made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. Anthony Zamarron also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
As for Maryvale, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 8-12. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.5 runs over those games.
On Maryvale's side, Christian Valdez and Ariel Garcia were major factors while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Valdez pitched 4.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and six unearned) runs off four hits. Meanwhile, Garcia pitched 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances. At the plate, Valdez got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI, while Garcia went 1-for-3 with one run and one double. Valdez is becoming a predictor of Maryvale's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is undefeated (and 4-12 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Sebastian Gonzalez, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in February. Nathan Benavidez was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. South Mountain will host Tempe at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. As for Maryvale, they will be playing in front of their home fans against La Joya Community at 3:45 p.m. on Friday. The Panthers' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Fighting Lobos have averaged an impressive 9.3 runs per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
