Bath County extended their losing streak to three on Thursday, dropping them down to 13-13. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost an 8-7 heartbreaker at the hands of the Bluegrass United Bluehawks. The Wildcats were not able to repeat the success they had when they faced the Bluehawks earlier this season, when they won 16-8.
Cooper Cox was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Another player making a difference was Zeke Brock, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
As for Bluegrass United, they pushed their record up to 7-12 with the win, which was their third straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.3 runs over those games.
On Bluegrass United's side, Clay Mateyoke made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over six innings while giving up five earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits. That's the most strikeouts Mateyoke has posted since April 4th. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with one triple and two RBI. That triple was his first of the season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on John Byrd, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. He is becoming a predictor of Bluegrass United's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 5-2 (and 2-10 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Kenton Brooks, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one RBI.
Coming up, Bath County will challenge Clay County at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Bluegrass United, they will head out on the road to square off against Model at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The Patriots have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 11.64 runs per game on average), something the Bluehawks will no doubt try to take advantage of.
