Creekside had lost three straight at home, but on Friday they dropped down to 3-7 to make it four. They lost 16-10 to the M.L. King Lions. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Lions this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 15-5 on Wednesday.
Takeevius Thornton put in work while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing five innings while giving up just two earned (and five unearned) runs off seven hits. Thornton was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Evan Finney was cooking despite his team's loss, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. Makhi Woodhouse was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run.
As for M.L. King, they have been performing well recently as they've won ten of their last 12 matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.4 runs over those games.
Like Creekside, M.L. King also got a great game from a two-way player: Brandon Ray. He struck out seven batters over 6.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. That's the most strikeouts Ray has posted since back in April of 2025. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-5 with one home run, two RBI, and one double. That home run was his first of the season.
Looking ahead, Creekside will host Drew at 5:55 p.m. on Monday. Drew has struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 13.46 runs per game on average), something Creekside will no doubt try to take advantage of. As for M.L. King, they will take on Midtown at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. The Lions' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Knights have averaged an impressive 6.2 runs per game this season.