Aurora Central extended their losing streak to three on Thursday, dropping them down to 3-7. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 6-5 heartbreaker at the hands of the Gateway Olympians. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Olympians this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 15-0 back in March.
Toby Sanchez was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 14 batters over six innings while giving up four earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits. Sanchez was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two triples, three RBI, and one run.
In other batting news, Andres Aguillera made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
As for Gateway, they pushed their record up to 8-4 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games.
On Gateway's side, Heber Almeida was incredible, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. Almeida has become a key player for the Olympians: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 2-4 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Jakob Petersen, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one triple.
Looking ahead, Aurora Central will be playing in front of their home fans against Thornton at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Aurora Central's pitchers better be ready for this one: Thornton has averaged an impressive 6.5 runs per game this season. As for Gateway, they will head out on the road to take on Englewood at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. The Pirates have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 15.6 runs per game on average), something the Olympians will no doubt try to take advantage of.
