Baseball Recap: Piper Comes Up Short

Piper extended their losing streak to four on Monday, dropping them down to 1-4. They fell 11-7 to the Fort Lauderdale Flying L. The Bengals were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Flying L's apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in February of 2025.

Austin Engle put in work while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching 4.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. Engle was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his six plate appearances with two stolen bases and two RBI. Those stolen bases marked the first that he has snagged this season.

In other batting news, Joseph Cuminale made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with three stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. Those stolen bases were his first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Ladanain Mckenzie, who went 2-for-5 with one home run and two RBI.

As for Fort Lauderdale, their win ended a six-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 4-2. The game was the first time they have beaten Piper on their field since April 11, 2018.

On Fort Lauderdale's side, Dave Lopez looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. Lopez has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks any time he's pitched this season.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Jake DelNegri, who went 5-for-6 with four stolen bases and four runs. Those four stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Nathaniel Greene, who got on base in four of his seven plate appearances with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.

Looking ahead, Piper will square off against American Heritage at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. As for Fort Lauderdale, they will look to defend their home field on Friday against Boyd Anderson at 6:30 p.m.