After a string of four wins, Hart's good fortune finally ran out on Thursday. Their rough 9-2 loss to the Valencia Vikings might stick with them for a while. The result was an unpleasant reminder to Hart of the 2-0 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture on March 5th.
Hart saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Nicole Specht, who scored a run while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Alexis Lopez, who went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
On Valencia's side, Carly Kearns was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits (and only one walk). Kearns has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up a single walk in six consecutive pitching appearances. Kearns was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with an RBI.
In other batting news, Abby Garcia and Allyson Wolf did most of the damage at the plate: Garcia scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances, while Wolf went 2-for-4 with two runs, a triple, and two RBI. Hope Seper was another key contributor, going 2-for-4 with a stolen base, a double, and an RBI.
Hart's loss dropped their record down to 11-6. As for Valencia, their win was their eighth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 14-4.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Hart will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Golden Valley at 3:15 p.m. on April 11th. Hart is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 6.9 runs per game this season. As for Valencia, they will have some time to savor their victory since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Saugus at 3:15 p.m. on April 9th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
