Mingo Central had lost 11 straight on the road dating back to last season, but on Monday they dropped down to 2-9 to make it 12. They lost 14-3 to the Belfry Pirates. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Pirates this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 20-10 back in March.
Noah Newsome put in work while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off two hits. Newsome was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Aiden Burke made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 1-for-2 with two runs and one stolen base. Ryan Fabin also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
As for Belfry, their victory bumped their record up to 11-8. Considering they have won seven contests by more than six runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
On Belfry's side, Billy Smith tossed a big game, tossing six innings while giving up three earned runs off five hits.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Bryce Hagy, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with four stolen bases and four runs. Belfry is undefeated when Hagy posts two or more stolen bases, but 5-8 otherwise. Another player making a difference was David Michael Hagy, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Mingo Central didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next matchup, a 14-13 defeat against Phelps on the 21st. As for Belfry, they will look to defend their home field on Thursday against Lawrence County at 6:00 p.m. The Bulldogs' pitching crew has only allowed 3.2 runs per game this season, so the Pirates' hitters will have their work cut out for them.