West Carrollton extended their losing streak to 14 on Friday, dropping them down to 1-16. They were two runs away from ending the streak, but they lost a 10-8 heartbreaker at the hands of the Stebbins Indians. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Indians this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 13-2 on Wednesday.
Drew Strauss and Matt Havens did some serious damage despite the final result: Strauss got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and three runs, while Havens went 2-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double. That double marked the first that Havens has hit this season. Another player making a difference was Chase Hart, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base.
As for Stebbins, their record now sits at 8-10. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for they considering their one-run performance the matchup before.
On Stebbins' side, Gavin Canup was a major factor no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over four innings pitched. Canup was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, four RBI, and one run. He has become a key player for Stebbins: the team is 3-1 when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 5-9 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Brayden Walters, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI. Stebbins is 3-1 when Walters posts two or more runs, but 5-9 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Reuel Scales, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Looking ahead, West Carrollton will head out to challenge Troy at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. The Trojans will roll in looking for their 12th straight win, something the Pirates surely won't give up without a fight. As for Stebbins, they will be playing at home against Northridge at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. The Polar Bears have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 12.93 runs per game on average), something the Indians will no doubt try to take advantage of.
