The Wauzeka-Steuben Hornets Baseball team dropped a trio of games this past week, including a pair of RIdge & Valley Conference games.
First up for the Hornets was a trip to Weston last Monday, May 4. W-S got on the scoreboard first with a run in the top of the first. Unfortunately, the Silver Eagles answered right back in the bottom of the first inning with a run of their own. The score remained tied 1-1 until the bottom of the fourth when the hosts scored five runs to take a 6-1 lead. The Hornets responded with two runs in the top of the fifth inning to get back within three runs at 6-3. That was as close as they would get however as the Silver Eagles would add one more run in the bottom of the sixth inning en route to defeating the Hornets by a score of 7 to 3.
Bentley Dums started on the mound for W-S, earning the loss after allowing six runs (four earned) on five hits and five walks with one strike out in 3.1 innings pitched. Cooper Lomas pitched the final 2.2 innings in relief, allowing one run on one hit with two walks and five strikeouts.
The Hornets offense had nine hits in the loss, with Lomas (3-for-4 with two runs scored), Mason Johnson (2-for-3 with one RBI) and Josh Martin (2-for-4) each having multiple hits in the loss. Clint Mitchell (1-for-3 with one run scored) and Cody Wagner (1-for-4) also had a hit in the game.
Wauzeka-Steuben stepped out of conference play the following night when the Cashton Eagles came to town. The Eagles scored three runs in the first, one in the second, three more in the fourth and one in the fifth en route to a 8-3 victory over the Hornets. W-S scored once in the bottom of the first and twice in the bottom of the third but were unable to keep pace with the Eagles offense.
Ryder Fralick started the game on the mound for the Hornets and took the loss after allowing seven runs (four earned) on 10 hits and three walks with three strikeouts in 4.0 innings pitched. He was relieved by Martin, who allowed one run on three hits and one walk with four strikeouts in 3.0 innings pitched. Wauzeka-Steuben’s offense was held to six hits as a team, with Lomas (2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored) being the only Hornet with multiple hits in the game. Johnson (1-for-4), Fralick (1-for-2), Wagner (1-for-3) and Wyatt Mullikin (1-for-3) had the other four hits for W-S.
North Crawford made the trek down to Wauzeka last Thursday, May 7 and defeated the Hornets 8-0. The Trojans scored two runs in the third and fourth innings, once in the fifth, twice in the sixth and once in the top of the seventh inning to earn the 8-0 win.
Dums (five runs allowed (three earned) on six hits and four walks with five strikeouts in 4.2 innings pitched) suffered the loss, while Lomas (three runs allowed (zero earned) on three hits and one walk with one strikeout in 2.1 innings pitched) finished the game on the mound.
Offensively, the Hornets were again led by Lomas (2-for-3 with one walk) as he had two of the team’s four hits. The other two hits belonged to Theo Millin (1-for-3) and Wagner (1-for-3).
The Hornets (3-9 overall, 2-6 in the Ridge & Valley Conference) traveled to Seneca this past Monday and hosted Brookwood yesterday before ending the week at home against Kickapoo tomorrow and Seneca on Friday.
