Tharptown extended their losing streak to five on Monday, dropping them down to 3-8. They lost 10-3 to the Waterloo Cougars. The Wildcats were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Cougars apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in April of 2025.
As for Waterloo, the victory got them back to even at 6-6. Considering their hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
For Waterloo's part, Jacob Hart made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Hart has become a key player for Waterloo: the team is 2-1 when he allows at most one hit, but 4-5 otherwise. Hart was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in two of his four plate appearances with one run and one RBI.
In other pitching news, Stalin Wood tossed a big game, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out nine over 5.1 innings pitched. Waterloo is 2-1 when Wood allows one or fewer earned runs, but 4-5 otherwise.
Back at the plate, Ryan Benson was incredible, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Benson is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: he's snagged at least one every time he's taken the field this season. Landon Jones was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Looking ahead, Tharptown will welcome Phil Campbell at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Waterloo, they will venture away from home to square off against Cherokee at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The Indians have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 17.38 runs per game on average), something the Cougars will no doubt try to take advantage of.
