With a losing streak that now stands at thirteen games, it is truly little things that can bring encouragement and hope to our embattled Charger baseball team. Despite seeing the steak continue, the team can take heart in the fact that it played a full doubleheader at Madrid on Tuesday without either game ending with the mercy rule. The Tigers won 7-2 and 9-3, but Charger fans saw a better Charger performance.

Game one of the twin bill saw the Chargers come up with a season high ten hits. After Madrid scored a single run in the second inning, ACGC threatened in the bottom half of the inning when Bryce Littler and Charlie Crawford both singled with no one out. Base running mistakes ended the threat and the Chargers came up empty.

Trailing 1-0 going into the bottom of the fourth, the Chargers tied the game in its fourth at bat. After Newell Rogers singled and Ben Kingery doubled, Littler's second hit drove in Rogers to tie the game at one apiece. The tie was short lived when Madrid came up with a five spot in the fifth to make the score 6-1 and put the game out of reach for the Chargers. The Tigers picked up an additional run in the sixth inning to make it 7-1. ACGC added a run to its total in the seventh inning when Crawford singled and scored when Will Byars singled to right field and the Tiger fielder misplayed the ball, allowing Crawford to score.

Charger mentor Taylor Morris had good things to say about his team's effort. "We got a good start out of Will Byars who went a complete game. He kept us in the game." Byars surrendered ten hits while walking just one Tiger batter and recording a pair of strikeouts.

"We had a good approach at the plate and that showed throughout the game," Morris added. We need to get better on the base paths as we gave them some outs in crucial situations. But we are starting to play better baseball."

In the nightcap Madrid scored a single run in its first at bat and the Chargers came up with three scores in the top of the second inning. Five Charger batters--Reid Rumelhart, Miles Kading, Brock Littler, Noah Nelson and Avery Wheatley--reached safely by either a base on balls or as a hit batsman. Newell Rogers added a base hit and the Chargers were up 3-1.

But the lead was soon gone when Madrid came up with five runs in its half of the second to take the lead for good at 6-3. Five consecutive walks by Charger pitching in the fifth inning enabled Madrid to come up with another three scores to make it 9-3, a score which stood up for the remainder of the game.

Rumelhart and Rogers each got one hit, but that was it for ACGC in the evening finale. Eli Kading, Kingery, and Rogers shared the pitching duties, with their stats listed below.

"Game two started off well as we took a 3-1 lead, but couldn't maintain it," Morris commented following the game. "After the game we talked about having a shutdown inning after getting the momentum and about how we were unable to do that. We have to tip our hats to Madrid as they executed well in all facets of the game."

Tonight the Chargers are on the road at Pleasantville for a WCAC doubleheader.

Game one score by inning: Game two score by inning:

Madrid 010 051 0--7 10 3 ACGC 030 000 0--3 2 0

ACGC 000 100 1--2 10 3 Madrid 150 300 x--9 9 0

Charger box score: Charger box score:

AB R H RBI AB R H RBI

Wheatley 4 0 1 0 Wheatley 3 0 0 1

Rogers 3 1 1 0 Rogers 2 0 1 1

Kingery 3 0 2 0 Kingery 4 0 0 0

Littler 3 0 2 1 BryLittler 3 0 0 0

Crawford 3 1 2 0 Crawford 3 0 0 0

Rumelhart 3 0 0 0 Rumelhart 2 1 1 0

Kading 3 0 0 0 Kading 1 0 0 0

Byars 3 0 1 1 BroLittler 1 1 0 0

Nelson 2 0 1 0 Ure 1 0 0 0

Nelson 2 0 0 0

Pitching: IP H R ER BB SO Spack 0 1 0 0

Byars 7 7 6 1 1 2

Pitching: IP H R ER BB SO

Kading 3.33 8 9 9 4 1

Kingery 1.67 0 0 0 1 2

Rogers 1.00 1 0 0 2 0