Thornton Fractional North had lost three straight on the road, but on Friday they dropped their record down to 6-26 to make it four. They lost 21-7 to the East Chicago Central Cardinals. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Cardinals this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 12-10 last Friday.
As for East Chicago Central, their record now sits at 11-13. Considering they have won eight games by more than nine runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
For East Chicago Central's part, Ivan Rojas and Jorge Sanchez made a big impact while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Rojas pitched 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Sanchez tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. What's more, Rojas posted five strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April. At the plate, Rojas got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two runs, two RBI, and one double, while Sanchez went 1-for-5 with two runs and two RBI. Rojas has become a key player for East Chicago Central: the team is 9-2 when he posts at least two runs, but 2-11 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Victor Rivera, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. He is becoming a predictor of East Chicago Central's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is undefeated (and 7-13 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Yamil Ponce, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
The teams didn't have to wait long for a rematch: East Chicago Central beat Thornton Fractional North by a score of 6-5 later that day.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
