Aurora Central dropped their record down to 4-8 on Thursday, which also ended the team's three-game streak of wins at home. They lost 10-4 to the Gateway Olympians. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Olympians this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 6-5 on April 1st.
Kalai Bentosino was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. On the mound, he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Those zero hits allowed gave him a new career-low. He was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one run and one double.
Bentosino wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Jose Gomez, who went 1-for-3 with one run.
As for Gateway, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven games. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-4 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.1 runs over those games.
Like Aurora Central, Gateway also got a great game from a two-way player: Heber Almeida. He struck out seven batters over seven innings while giving up four earned runs off 12 hits (and only one walk). That's the most strikeouts Almeida has posted since back in April of 2024. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-5 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. He is becoming a predictor of Gateway's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 6-1 (and 1-3 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, Mervin Loya was incredible, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. He has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last seven times he's played. Angel Ferrusquia was another key player, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases and one run.
Looking ahead, Aurora Central is taking a road trip to challenge Thornton at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Aurora Central is facing Thornton at the right time seeing as Thornton is stuck on a 15-game losing streak. As for Gateway, they will host Englewood at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
