Monrovia proved they can win big last Thursday (they won by 20) but on Friday they proved they can win the close ones too. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past the Bethesda Christian Patriots 10-8. This was payback for Monrovia, who suffered a 12-8 defeat the last time these two teams met.
Brayton Belcher made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over 5.2 innings while giving up just two earned (and six unearned) runs off seven hits. Belcher was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ryder Pool, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times he's played.
Like Monrovia, Bethesda Christian also got a great game from a two-way player: Isaiah Giegerich. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out ten over 5.1 innings pitched. Giegerich was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Noah Dininger was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 4-for-4.
The win got Monrovia back to even at 11-11. As for Bethesda Christian, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-10 record this season.
Monrovia will head out on the road to take on Martinsville at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Monrovia is facing Martinsville at the right time seeing as Martinsville is stuck on an 11-game losing streak. As for Bethesda Christian, they will look to defend their home field on Saturday against Indy Genesis HomeSchool at 7:00 p.m. Indy Genesis HomeSchool is coming into the contest with five straight victories on the road, so Bethesda Christian will have to stop a team with plenty of momentum.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
