Middletown extended their losing streak to five on Friday, dropping their season record down to 4-13-1 in the process. They fell 16-11 to the Fort Bragg Timberwolves. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Timberwolves this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 7-2 back in April.
Hayden Xavier was cooking despite his team's loss, going 4-for-5 with one home run, two stolen bases, and three runs. He also put up a triple, which was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Hunter Karp, who went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run.
As for Fort Bragg, the victory was the fifth in a row for them, bringing their record up to 15-3. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for they, who until this match were averaging 3.56 runs allowed.
On Fort Bragg's side, Chris Hernandez and Giancarlo Diaz were major factors no matter where they played. On the mound, Hernandez struck out eight batters over 4.2 innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. Meanwhile, Diaz pitched 3.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and eight unearned) runs off six hits. That's the most strikeouts Hernandez has posted since back in March. At the plate, Hernandez went 4-for-5 with one home run, three stolen bases, and four runs, while Diaz went 3-for-6 with four RBI and one double. Hernandez is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged two or more in each of the last four games he's played.
In other batting news, Fort Bragg let Dane Salo and Beau Hebden run wild. Salo went 2-for-5 with four stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI, while Hebden went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double. Those three hits gave Hebden a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Carter Killion, who went 1-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base.
Coming up, Middletown will take on St. Helena at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The Saints' pitching crew has only allowed 3.2 runs per game this season, so the Mustangs' hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Fort Bragg, they will challenge Cloverdale at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The Timberwolves' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Eagles have averaged an impressive 6.9 runs per game this season.
