Highland had lost 12 straight at home dating back to last season, but on Friday they dropped their record down to 1-14 to make it 13. They took a 12-9 hit to the loss column at the hands of the East Leopards. Unfortunately, that's the third time they've come up short against the Leopards this season, with their most recent loss being a 11-4 defeat on Wednesday.
Max Green was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up five earned (and two unearned) runs off eight hits (and not a single walk). Furthermore, he didn't allow a single walk, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in March.
On the hitting side, Hudson Manville made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. He also put up an RBI, which was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Aidan Ashby, who went 1-for-4 with two RBI and one run.
As for East, the victory (which was their sixth in a row) raised their record to 6-10. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.8 runs over those games.
On East's side, Josh Treend and Logan Lunt made a big impact while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Treend pitched four innings while giving up four earned (and one unearned) runs off only one hit. Meanwhile, Lunt struck out eight batters over 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). The dominant performance also gave Treend a new career-high in strikeouts (five). At bat, Treend went 3-for-5 with four RBI and one run, while Lunt went 4-for-5 with four runs, one triple, and one stolen base. East is undefeated when Lunt posts two or more runs, but 0-10 otherwise.
In other batting news, Brody Blaylock was excellent, earning two runs and three stolen bases.
Looking ahead, Highland will head out on the road to square off against Skyline at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The Rams are facing the Eagles at the right time seeing as the Eagles are stuck on a four-game losing streak. As for East, they will take on Alta at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The Leopards' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Hawks have averaged an impressive 8.8 runs per game this season.
