Tuesday just wasn't the day for Desert's offense. They took a 5-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Kern Valley Broncs on Tuesday. Desert has not had much luck with Kern Valley recently, as the team's come up short the last eight times they've met.
Alayna Phillips was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. On the mound, she struck out nine batters over six innings while giving up four earned (and three unearned) runs off only two hits. Phillips has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 14 consecutive pitching appearances. Phillips was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-3 with two RBI.
In other batting news, Hayden Escobar and Eden Hewes did some serious damage despite the final result: Escobar scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-3, while Hewes scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3. Hewes has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times she's played. Abbie Hogan was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-2.
Even though they lost, Desert didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with nine strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Kern Valley only tossed five.
On Kern Valley's side, the team relied heavily on Ava Bates, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all two of her plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Brooklynn Robertson, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-1.
Desert's defeat dropped their record down to 10-9. As for Kern Valley, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 16-6 record this season.
Desert will be playing at home against California City at 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday. California City will roll in looking for their tenth straight win, something Desert surely won't give up without a fight. As for Kern Valley, they will head out on the road to square off against Rosamond at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Kern Valley is looking to tack on another W to their four-game streak on the road.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
