Chalker extended their losing streak to three on Friday, dropping them down to 5-10-1. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 12-11 heartbreaker at the hands of the Leetonia Bears. If the Wildcats were looking for revenge after losing 13-2 to the Bears when the teams met back in April of 2019, then they'll just have to keep looking.
Mason Vondrasek and Zach Pack stepped up to the plate in a big way. Vondrasek went 2-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base, while Pack went 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, one run, and one double. Lucas Porterfield also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
As for Leetonia, their victory bumped their record up to 7-12. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for they considering their one-run performance the matchup before.
On Leetonia's side, Jason King made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over six innings while giving up three earned (and seven unearned) runs off ten hits. That's the most strikeouts King has posted since back in April. He was even better at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double. He is becoming a predictor of Leetonia's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is undefeated (and 3-12 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, Jeremiah Falk and Chase Bondi did most of the damage at the plate: Falk went 1-for-3 with four stolen bases, four RBI, and two runs, while Bondi went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. Leetonia is undefeated when Bondi posts two or more stolen bases, but 4-12 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Gray Henderson, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Chalker does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Leetonia, they will head out to take on McDonald at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The Blue Devils' pitching crew has only allowed 2.6 runs per game this season, so the Bears' hitters will have their work cut out for them.
