Crown Point dropped to 19-5 on Friday, ending the team's three-game streak of wins at home. They lost 11-5 to the Homestead Spartans. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Bulldogs, who until this matchup were averaging 3.17 runs allowed.
Crown Point saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Caden Matusak, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Another was Carson Payne, who went 1-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
As for Homestead, with the victory, they broke their three-game losing streak and moved their record to 16-8. They might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine games by six runs or more this season.
On Homestead's side, Eli Shoppell tossed a big game, striking out ten batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off six hits (and not a single walk). Shoppell has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Luke Haley was incredible, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, two doubles, and two RBI. He has become a key player for Homestead: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 7-8 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Shane Bardwell, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Crown Point and Homestead should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps Indiana Rankings. The Bulldogs (ranked third) will meet Cathedral (ranked 31st) at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Meanwhile, Homestead will square off against Moline at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday with a big rank advantage (16 vs. 103).
