After a string of four wins, Opelika's good fortune finally ran out on Thursday. Their rough 9-2 loss to the Elmore County Panthers might stick with them for a while. Opelika was red-hot at the plate headed into the game (they scored no less than ten runs in the three matchups prior) but Elmore County's pitchers proved too tough.
For Elmore County's part, Jaden Eason made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits. Eason has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive pitching appearances. Eason was also big at the plate, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with.
In other batting news, Shea Darnell was a standout: he scored three runs and stole two bases while going 4-for-5. Austin Davis was another key contributor, going 2-for-4 with four RBI, a stolen base, and a double.
Opelika's defeat dropped their record down to 19-7. As for Elmore County, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine matches, which provided a nice bump to their 15-3 record this season.
Opelika will be staying on the road on Friday to face off against Holtville at 6:00 p.m. Opelika's pitching crew has only allowed 3.8 runs per game this season, so Holtville's hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Elmore County, they will face off against Dothan at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Elmore County is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 10.2 runs per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
