Chargers Continue to Struggle; Fall to Audubon 11-1

Friday night's 11-1 loss looked all to familiar to the ACGC baseball team and its fans, as the Chargers lost by the mercy rule for the second consecutive game. Wednesday Atlantic won over the Chargers, 18-1, and last night it was Audubon that bested the team, 11-1, in five innings.

Coach Taylor Morris' take on the game was short and to the point. "We need to stop giving away free bases. When we make teams earn it, we usually win ballgames, but right now we are in a funk, and need to break out of it."

After a scoreless first inning, the Wheelers scored nine total runs in their second and third at bats to essentially clinch the win. ACGC starting pitcher Clayton Wardyn struggled to throw strikes, as he walked nine Audubon batters and hit one in his two and two thirds innings on the mound. Add three hits to that total, and the Wheelers were able to built an insurmountable early lead.

The Chargers didn't help themselves at the plate, as they connected for just three singles on the night. The visitors loaded the bases in the third inning when Lucas Marsh got on by error, Wardyn singled, and Miles Kading walked, but a strike out ended the threat.

The lone ACGC run came in the fourth inning when Reid Rumelhart singled with one out and Eli Kading and Marsh each drew bases on balls to fill up the bases. Wardyn's ground out to shortstop scored Rumelhart to get the Chargers on the scoreboard.

With the score standing at 9-1 in the bottom of the fifth, Audubon scored two unearned runs to end the game by the ten run rule.

The busy week for the Chargers continues tonight when they travel to Carlisle for a JV/Varsity doubleheader. The JV game is scheduled for 5:50, with the varsity game to follow.

Score by inning:

ACGC 000 10--1 3 1

Aud 027 02--11 6 1

ACGC hitting: (AB-R-H-RBI) Rogers(2-0-0-0) Crawford(3-0-0-0) MKading (2-0-1-0) Littler(3-0-0-0) Jensen(2-0-0-0) Rumelhart(1-1-1-0) EKading(1-0-0-0) Marsh(1-0-0-0) Wardyn(2-0-1-1)

Pitching: (IP-H-R-ER-SO-BB) Wardyn(2.67-4-9-9-6-9) Bunde(2.00-2-2-0-2-2)