Batavia completes their first sweep of the season by defeating State College 4-3 on Tuesday night. The Muckdogs have now won three straight contests on their first winning streak of the season.
Batavia got another strong start from Alberto Guerrero, who notched his second win of the season by going six strong innings, only giving up one run on four hits in the outing. He also struck out five in the start. Guerrero lowered his season ERA to a 2.81, and now has a team-leading two wins.
The first run of the game came in the second inning after a leadoff double from Wood Myers. The double was followed up by a single from Andres Luna that brought Myers in to put the Spikes in front 1-0 after the second inning.
Batavia brought their first runs of the game to the plate in the top of the fourth inning once Jerar Encarnacion smacked his only hit of the game into left field to extend his hitting streak to 10 games to open the season. Immediately after, Sean Reynolds continued his hot streak by cracking his first triple of the season down the right-field line.
Reynolds has improved his average to well over .300 in the last five games. Encarnacion scored on the play to keep himself atop the leagues scoring charts. Simultaneously, Reynolds propelled himself atop the league leaders for RBI’s, a spot he ironically stole from the player he drove in. The Muckdogs were not done. JD Osborne hit a sacrifice fly to right field.
The pitchers out of the bullpen would lock in during the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings. Once in the eighth, Batavia dropped two more on the Spikes. Encarnacion and Reynolds both reached base again. State College elected to intentionally walk Albert Guiamaro to load the bases and get Demetrius Sims to the plate. Sims, who was already 2-3 in the game up to that point, hit a single through the hole on the right side to bring in Encarnacion and Reynolds. Batavia would finish off the eighth in front 4-1.
Two leadoff singles in the ninth would come around to score on a two-run double from Edwin Figuera, but that would be it as Jeremy Ovalle struck three batters in the ninth for the save.
Batavia improves to 6-5, going over the .500 mark for the first time this season. Winners, of three straight, the Muckdogs play host to Auburn for one game on Thursday after having Wednesday off.
