Kankakee extended their losing streak to three on Tuesday, dropping their season record down to 4-14 in the process. They fell 17-14 to the Bloom Blazing Trojan. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Blazing Trojan this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 9-7 on Monday.
Eli Stipp and Byron Wills did some serious damage despite the final result: Stipp went 2-for-5 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run, while Wills went 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs. Another player making a difference was Jaden Villafuerte, who went 2-for-5 with two runs and one double.
As for Bloom, their win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-10. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.5 runs over those games.
On Bloom's side, Dan Williams made a splash no matter where he played. He pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Williams has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. He was even better at the plate, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with three runs, three RBI, and one double. Bloom is undefeated when Williams posts two or more runs, but 5-10 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on D'Majae Montgomery, who went 3-for-5 with three RBI, two runs, and one double. He is becoming a predictor of Bloom's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 4-10 when he doesn't). Mateo Munoz was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
While Kankakee had to take the loss, they won't have to wait long to give it another shot: the pair's next game is a rematch scheduled at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
