Valley Christian was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They lost 12-3 to the Leroy Greene Academy Lions. The result was an unpleasant reminder to Valley Christian of the 9-2 loss they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture last Tuesday.
Nathan Erickson put in work while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over four innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. Erickson has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in five consecutive pitching appearances. Erickson was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Nick Befort made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two RBI and a double.
Even though they lost, Valley Christian didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with 14 strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Leroy Greene Academy only tossed nine.
Like Valley Christian, Leroy Greene Academy also got a great game from a two-way player: Drew Perry. Throwing, Perry struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits. Meanwhile, Lamont Bufford JR pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. At bat, Perry went 2-for-5 with a home run, four RBI, and two runs, while Bufford JR scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Korey Ramson was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while going 4-for-4. John Gould was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-4.
Valley Christian's defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 12-8. As for Leroy Greene Academy, the win was the 11th in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 19-4.
Valley Christian will head out on the road to challenge Sutter at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Sutter is coming into the contest with eight straight victories at home, so Valley Christian will have to stop a team with plenty of momentum. Leroy Greene Academy will take on Mariposa County at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Leroy Greene Academy is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10.8 runs per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
