Carlisle extended their losing streak to seven on Thursday, dropping them down to 5-13. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 5-4 heartbreaker at the hands of the Central Dauphin East Panthers. The Bison were not able to repeat the success they had when they faced the Panthers earlier this season, when they won 15-0.
Carlisle got a good showing from Carter Welker, who pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Those zero hits allowed gave Welker a new career-low.
On the hitting side, Carlisle saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Colby Focht, who went 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI.
As for Central Dauphin East, their win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-11. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games.
On Central Dauphin East's side, Jeison Lista made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits (and only one walk). Lista has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Lucas Kern, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. Alex Brandt also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Coming up, Carlisle will square off against Lebanon at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Central Dauphin East, they will take on Palmyra at 4:15 p.m. on Monday. The Cougars' pitching crew has only allowed 3.1 runs per game this season, so the Panthers' hitters will have their work cut out for them.