Big Sandy extended their losing streak to four on Friday, dropping them down to 7-9. They fell 8-3 to the Alba-Golden Panthers. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Panthers this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 12-2 on Tuesday.
Daniel Pendley spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered four earned (and four unearned) runs on eight hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
Derrick Pendley
| 03/27/26 vs Fruitvale | 4 |
| 04/17/26 vs Alba-Golden | 2 |
| 03/31/26 vs Yantis | 2 |
| 04/07/26 vs Como-Pickton | 1 |
| 03/24/26 vs Fruitvale | 1 |
| + 1 more games |
On the hitting side, Derrick Pendley was cooking despite his team's loss, going 3-for-4 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one double. He has become a key player for Big Sandy: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 5-8 otherwise.
As for Alba-Golden, the win was the seventh in a row for them, bringing their record up to 14-5. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games.
On Alba-Golden's side, Tucker Samples made a splash while hitting and pitching. He struck out nine batters over 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits (and not a single walk). Those nine strikeouts gave Samples a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Cooper Christian, who went 1-for-3 with three stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in March. Easton Samples was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Big Sandy will welcome Cumby at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The Wildcats will need to watch out since the Trojans have now posted at least ten runs in their last three games. As for Alba-Golden, they will look to defend their home field on Tuesday against Como-Pickton at 6:00 p.m. The Panthers' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Eagles have averaged an impressive 7.7 runs per game this season.
