Baseball Recap: Olympia Comes Up Short

Olympia extended their losing streak to three on Friday, dropping their season record down to 12-19 in the process. They lost 17-7 to the Limestone Rockets. If the Spartans were looking for revenge after losing 7-5 to the Rockets when the teams met back in May of 2021, then they'll just have to keep looking.

As for Limestone, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 20-12 record this season. Their hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.

For Limestone's part, Evan Daxenbichler made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits. Daxenbichler has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all five of his plate appearances with three runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Bryce Chapman, who got on base in four of his six plate appearances with one home run, four runs, and two stolen bases. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in RBI (three). Ryan Schooley also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.

Olympia and Limestone are set to take part in some playoff action in their next matches. The Spartans will welcome Bloomington Central Catholic at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The Saints have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 7.67 runs per game on average), something Olympia will no doubt try to take advantage of. As for Limestone, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Bloomington at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The timing is sure in the Rockets' favor as the team sits on three straight wins at home while the Purple Raiders have been banged up by four consecutive losses on the road.