Auburndale extended their losing streak to five on Wednesday, dropping them down to 1-13. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 6-5 heartbreaker at the hands of the IMG Academy Blue Ascenders. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Ascenders this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 5-3 last Tuesday.
Christian Maxey got Auburndale off to a strong start despite the final result, tossing four innings while giving up three earned runs off five hits. What's more, Maxey gave up only one walk, the fewest he's had since back in April of 2025.
At the plate, Auburndale saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Carter Brattlie, who went 1-for-3 with two runs.
As for IMG Academy Blue, they are on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-5 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.9 runs over those games.
On IMG Academy Blue's side, Leif Edoff looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out seven over four innings pitched. Edoff also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because the Ascenders are 4-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 3-4 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Fletcher King was excellent, going 1-for-4 with one home run and two runs. He has become a key player for IMG Academy Blue: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 3-5 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Hannes Von Jagemann, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Auburndale wasted no time getting back out on the field and has already played their next game, a 16-2 victory against Mulberry on the 19th. As for IMG Academy Blue, they also didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next matchup, a 12-6 win against Discovery on the 19th.
