On Thursday, Palo Verde faced Faith Lutheran in a battle between two of the state's top teams. The Palo Verde Panthers took an 8-5 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Faith Lutheran Crusaders. Palo Verde just can't catch a break and has now endured three defeats in a row.
Mayson Reichartz was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off seven hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Tanner Johns was cooking despite his team's loss, going 3-for-4 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI. Luke Herrera was another key contributor, going 3-for-4 with a triple, a run, and an RBI.
On Faith Lutheran's side, Alexander Jang was excellent, scoring a run while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Rouselle Shepard, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Palo Verde's loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 14-9. As for Faith Lutheran, the win (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 16-6.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Palo Verde will take on Centennial at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. As for Faith Lutheran, they will head out on the road to challenge Las Vegas at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Las Vegas is on a 12-game streak of home wins, Faith Lutheran a four-game streak of away wins -- so someone will have to leave a streak behind on the field.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
