Morton/White Pass extended their losing streak to 16 on Monday, dropping their season record down to 0-16 in the process. They came up short against the Rainier Mountaineers, falling 11-1. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Mountaineers this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 13-2 on Friday.
As for Rainier, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-10 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.3 runs over those games.
For Rainier's part, Dayton Gardner made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). Those six strikeouts gave Gardner a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with two runs. He has become a key player for Rainier: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 4-10 otherwise.
In other batting news, Rainier got a big performance out of Peyton Sheaffer, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with two stolen bases and three runs. Sheaffer is becoming a predictor of the Mountaineers' success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is 2-1 (and 5-9 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Blake Fennel, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Looking ahead, Morton/White Pass is taking a road trip to face off against Mossyrock at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. As for Rainier, they will look to defend their home field on Wednesday against Wahkiakum at 3:00 p.m. The Mountaineers' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Mules have averaged an impressive 8.7 runs per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
