Bland was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their tenth straight defeat. Their rough 12-4 loss to the Cooper Bulldogs might stick with them for a while. The result was an unpleasant reminder to Bland of the 10-1 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture last Tuesday.
For Cooper's part, Jaret Slakey was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. Slakey has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't pitched less than five innings in five consecutive pitching appearances. Slakey was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in two of his five plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Devin Dial, who went 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Levi Oneal, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
Bland's loss dropped their record down to 2-14. As for Cooper, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 15-10.
Bland will be playing in front of their home fans against Honey Grove at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Cooper, they will head out on the road to square off against Celeste at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Cooper will be hoping to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each matchup than the last.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
