Augusta extended their losing streak to five on Friday, dropping them down to 1-7. They came up short against the Eleva-Strum Cardinals, falling 12-0. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Cardinals this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 10-0 back in April.
As for Eleva-Strum, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record up to 6-4. While they didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-13), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
For Eleva-Strum's part, Noah Martinson made a big impact no matter where he played. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Martinson has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with three RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Calvin Barneson, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. He is becoming a predictor of Eleva-Strum's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 2-4 when he doesn't). Alex King was another key player, going 3-for-4 with three runs and one stolen base.
We've got plenty of inter-conference action coming up soon. Augusta is set to square off against their familiar foe Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Meanwhile, Eleva-Strum will take on rival Osseo-Fairchild at 5:00 p.m. on Monday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
