After flying high against Merit Preparatory Academy last Tuesday, Utah Military Academy - Hill Field came back down to earth. The Utah Military Academy - Hill Field Thunderbirds came up short against the Merit Preparatory Academy Knights on Friday, falling 17-6. The Thunderbirds were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Knights apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played.
Kelton Neal was huge no matter where he played even without the win. On the mound, he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off only two hits. Neal was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. Neal is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: he's stolen at least one every time he's taken the field this season.
In other batting news, Jared Visage made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-2 with two runs and a triple. That triple marked the first that he's hit this season.
Even though they lost, Utah Military Academy - Hill Field didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with 12 strikeouts. That's the most strikeouts they've managed all season.
Utah Military Academy - Hill Field's loss dropped their record down to 2-2. As for Merit Preparatory Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 2-3.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Utah Military Academy - Hill Field will venture away from home to square off against Draper APA at 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday. Draper APA will be hoping to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each contest than the last. As for Merit Preparatory Academy, they are taking a road trip to take on American Heritage at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. American Heritage is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.2 runs per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
