Cary had lost 16 straight at home dating back to last season, but on Tuesday they dropped their record down to 1-14 to make it 17. They lost 17-2 to the Middle Creek Mustangs. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Mustangs this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 15-0 back in March.
Cary saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Natalie Shea, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base. Alena Ferrara also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
As for Middle Creek, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 7-8 record this season. Their hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
On Middle Creek's side, Hailey Hoeft made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She struck out eight batters over 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). Hoeft has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 13 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 4-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and four RBI. Those three runs gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Middle Creek got a massive performance out of Kristen Norton, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with four runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Those four runs gave Norton a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Madelyn Herndon, who went 2-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base.
Coming up, Cary will challenge Pinecrest at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The Imps' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Patriots have averaged an impressive 6.8 runs per game this season. As for Middle Creek, they will take on Apex at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
