Lucerne Valley was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They wound up on the wrong side of a tough 25-2 walloping at the hands of the Academy of Careers & Exploration Eagle. The result was an unpleasant reminder to Lucerne Valley of the 21-0 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture last Tuesday.
For Academy of Careers & Exploration's part, Bode Harkness and Mikel Costa were a major factor no matter where they played. On the mound, Harkness pitched an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also didn't allow any walks). Meanwhile, Costa struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits. At bat, Harkness scored three runs while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances, while Costa went 4-for-5 with three runs, three RBI, and a triple. Costa has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Thomas Koupeny, who got on base in all five of his plate appearances with four runs, two stolen bases, and five RBI. Another player making a difference was Ben Carlson, who scored four runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances.
Lucerne Valley's loss dropped their record down to 3-8. As for Academy of Careers & Exploration, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 8-6 record this season.
Lucerne Valley will head out on the road to face off against Silver Valley at 3:15 p.m. on Monday. Silver Valley is coming into the game with four straight defeats at home, meaning Lucerne Valley will have to defend against a team hungry for a win. Academy of Careers & Exploration will take on West Valley at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. West Valley is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 8.3 runs per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
