Russell County extended their losing streak to three on Thursday, dropping their season record down to 16-9 in the process. They were two runs away from ending the streak, but they lost a 3-1 heartbreaker at the hands of the Somerset Briar Jumpers. That's two games in a row now that the Lakers have lost by exactly two runs.
As for Somerset, the win was the third in a row for them, bringing their record up to 10-14. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory they have posted since March 19th.
For Somerset's part, Kole Grundy was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He struck out seven batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off eight hits. Somerset is 3-1 when Grundy allows one or fewer earned runs, but 7-13 otherwise. Grundy was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Connor Roberts, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one triple. He is becoming a predictor of Somerset's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 6-14 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Raygan New, who went 2-for-3 with one run.
Coming up, Russell County will look to defend their home field on Friday against Southwestern at 5:30 p.m. The Lakers' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Warriors have averaged an impressive 6.4 runs per game this season. As for Somerset, they will venture away from home to face off against Knox Central at 6:00 p.m. on Monday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
