University had lost four straight at home, but on Friday they dropped down to 6-15 to make it five. They lost 12-3 to the Laguna Beach Breakers. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Breakers this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 4-3 on Wednesday.
University saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Luke Emrich, who went 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
As for Laguna Beach, the win (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 16-8. The result was nothing new for the Breakers, who have now won nine games by six runs or more so far this season.
On Laguna Beach's side, Dylan Yencho and Aaron Crosby made a splash no matter where they played. On the mound, Yencho tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Crosby struck out six batters over five innings while giving up three earned runs off five hits. Yencho has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in 11 consecutive appearances. At bat, Yencho went 2-for-4 with four runs and two doubles, while Crosby went 1-for-3 with two runs and one RBI. Those four runs gave Yencho a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jacob Wicker, who got on base in all five of his plate appearances with three runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. Bear Ward was another key player, going 3-for-4 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one double.
Looking ahead, University will look to defend their home field on Wednesday against Portola at 3:30 p.m. The Bulldogs have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 6.69 runs per game on average), something the Trojans will no doubt try to take advantage of. As for Laguna Beach, they will venture away from home to take on Irvine at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The Vaqueros will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each matchup than the last.
