Widefield dropped their record down to 13-8 on Thursday, which also ended the team's six-game streak of wins at home. They fell 6-2 to the Mesa Ridge Grizzlies. The Gladiators were red-hot at the plate heading into the match (they scored no less than ten runs in the six games prior), but the Grizzlies' pitcher proved too tough.
Widefield saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Zane Cleaton, who went 1-for-2 with two RBI and one double. That double was Cleaton's first of the season.
As for Mesa Ridge, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-11 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.5 runs over those games.
On Mesa Ridge's side, Gabriel Montijo spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on three hits and racked up seven Ks. Montijo has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Ozcar Walker, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and one double. He is becoming a predictor of Mesa Ridge's success: when he posts at least three RBI the team is undefeated (and 3-11 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Gavin Vargas, who went 2-for-3 with two doubles and one run.
While Widefield had to take the loss, they won't have to wait long to give it another shot: the pair's next game is a rematch scheduled at 4:00 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
