Wasilla had lost three straight at home, but on Saturday they dropped down to 7-8 to make it four. They took a 7-3 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Soldotna Stars. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Stars this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 6-2 two weeks ago.
LaLo PaLomares was huge no matter where he played even without the win. On the mound, he struck out six batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits. Palomares was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run and one double.
Palomares wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Aiden Brandlen, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run. Bridger Berta was another, going 1-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
As for Soldotna, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-2 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.9 runs over those games.
On Soldotna's side, they got a great performance from Jack Harper as he tossed six innings while giving up three earned runs off seven hits. Harper has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Soldotna let Ethan Piscoya and Jackson Koetitz run wild. Piscoya went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one double, while Koetitz went 2-for-4 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Those two stolen bases gave Piscoya a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Malakai BeDunnah, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and one double.
As of now, neither Wasilla nor Soldotna have any future games scheduled.
