Pleasant Home extended their losing streak to five on Friday, dropping them down to 5-15. They came up short against the Laurel Hill Hoboes, falling 15-3. The Eagles were not able to repeat the success they had when they faced the Hoboes earlier this season, when they won 9-1.
Pleasant Home saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Luke Bradley, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one RBI. Trance Bozeman also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
As for Laurel Hill, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games. That's provided a massive bump to their 8-16 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.3 runs over those games.
On Laurel Hill's side, Anthony Spera made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He struck out six batters over five innings while giving up three earned runs off six hits. Spera has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double. He has become a key player for Laurel Hill: the team is 6-3 when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 2-13 otherwise.
In other batting news, Laurel Hill got a massive performance out of Tristen Locke, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. Those three RBI gave Locke a new career-high. Nathan Gemina was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with four stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI.
Looking ahead, Pleasant Home will look to defend their home field on Thursday against Emmanuel Christian at 4:30 p.m. As for Laurel Hill, they will take on Central at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The Jaguars' pitching crew has only allowed 3.8 runs per game this season, so the Hoboes' hitters will have their work cut out for them.
