Muncie Central extended their losing streak to four on Monday, dropping them down to 3-17. They fell 9-6 to the Anderson Indians. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Indians this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 19-5 last Monday.
Gage Emberton was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-3 with two doubles, one stolen base, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Ryan Graham, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs.
As for Anderson, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 9-9 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.5 runs over those games.
On Anderson's side, Kaydin Hutchison made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He struck out nine batters over 3.2 innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off two hits. Those nine strikeouts gave Hutchison a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Anderson's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 5-9 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, Hunter Anderson was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two stolen bases, and four RBI. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Cole Roberts, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Looking ahead, Muncie Central will look to defend their home field on Thursday against Shenandoah at 5:00 p.m. As for Anderson, they will head out on the road to face off against Kokomo at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. The Wildkats have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 8.59 runs per game on average), something the Indians will no doubt try to take advantage of.
