Irvin had lost six straight on the road, but on Thursday they dropped their record down to 4-20-1 to make it seven. They took a 12-9 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Austin Panthers. Unfortunately, that's the third time they've come up short against the Panthers this season, with their most recent defeat being a 4-1 loss on Tuesday.
Javier Alvarado put in work while hitting and pitching. He pitched 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Alvarado was even better at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, four RBI, and two runs.
In other batting news, Joseph Davila was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Robert Quimiro was another key player, going 1-for-4 with two stolen bases and one run.
As for Austin, the win was the third in a row for them, bringing their record up to 6-18. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.0 runs over those games.
Like Irvin, Austin also got a great game from a two-way player: Nyahn Blancarte. On the mound, he tossed 5.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. Blancarte was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, James Castro was incredible, going 2-for-5 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in RBI (two). Another player making a difference was Ivan Cortez, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with three runs and one stolen base.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Irvin will welcome Bowie at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The Bears have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 9.7 runs per game on average), something the Rockets will no doubt try to take advantage of. As for Austin, they will host Varsity Opponent at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
