Merced extended their losing streak to six on Wednesday, dropping them down to 1-9. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 6-5 heartbreaker at the hands of the Los Banos Tigers. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Tigers this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 14-11 on Monday.
Conner Vitelli made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one double. Michael Whalen-Flores was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base.
As for Los Banos, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-6 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.3 runs over those games.
On Los Banos' side, Jesse Vasquez tossed a big game, striking out ten batters over 6.2 innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits (and not a single walk). Vasquez also tossed no walks, which is notable because the Tigers are 3-1 when he allows at most two walks, but 4-5 otherwise.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Elijah Mejia, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and one double. He has become a key player for Los Banos: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 4-6 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Benjamin Lugo, who went 1-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
While Merced had to take the loss, they won't have to wait long to give it another shot: the pair's next game is a rematch scheduled at 4:00 p.m. on Friday.
