Newkirk extended their losing streak to four on Thursday, dropping their season record down to 10-12-1 in the process. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 9-8 heartbreaker at the hands of the Tonkawa Buccaneers. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Buccaneers this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 9-8 last Tuesday.
Grady Wood was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run. Another player making a difference was Cooper Robinson, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.
As for Tonkawa, the win (which was their seventh in a row) raised their record to 20-7. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.3 runs over those games.
On Tonkawa's side, Cason Johnson was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Johnson has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with two runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, Tonkawa got a big performance out of Brett Shepherd, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two RBI, one run, and one double. That double marked the first that Shepherd has hit this season. Westyn Freeman was another key player, going 1-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Newkirk will square off against Crossings Christian at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. As for Tonkawa, they will venture away from home to square off against Pawhuska at 5:00 p.m. on Monday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
