The Old Blog in the Desert

Virginia City’s misfortunes persisted Friday as they suffered their fourth consecutive defeat, an 8-7 nail-biter at the hands of the Pyramid Lake Lakers. The Muckers were a single run away from snapping their losing streak, but fate had other plans. Adding an unusual twist to the affair, this marked the fourth straight game in which the visiting team walked away victorious.

Despite the loss, Tyler Battaglia delivered a performance worth remembering. The hard-throwing right-hander took out eight batters in just over three innings of work, surrendering only one hit and three earned runs while issuing a lone free pass. His strikeout tally set a new personal best. Not content with merely shining on the mound, Battaglia made his presence felt at the plate as well, scoring twice, swiping a bag, and notching a base hit in three trips.

He was not alone in making solid contact. Angel Hipolito contributed by crossing the plate once and pilfering two bases, while four of his teammates also registered hits in the contest.

The latest setback dropped Virginia City to a winless 0-4 on the season. Pyramid Lake, meanwhile, clawed back to .500 with a 1-1 record.

Unfortunately for Virginia City, the script remained unchanged in their next outing. Their rematch against Hug ended in a 9-2 drubbing, extending their road losing streak to five games dating back to last season. The last time these two squads met, the Muckers prevailed 9-3 in April 2019, but history did them no favors this time.

Looking ahead, both Virginia City and Hug will take on Portola next. The Muckers will host the Tigers at noon Saturday while Hug gets their crack at them at 10 a.m.

Meanwhile, in another bout of diamond dominance, Southwest EC made quick work of Fernley, shutting them out in a lopsided 16-0 affair. The Eagles have been feasting on opponents all season, racking up four wins by nine or more runs.

Southwest EC remains undefeated at 5-0, steamrolling their competition with an average margin of victory exceeding 11 runs per game. Fernley tumbled to a 1-3-1 mark with the loss.

The Eagles kept their momentum rolling with a 6-1 triumph over Needles in their subsequent contest. Fernley, hoping to rebound, will return to their home turf Thursday to square off against Douglas at 3 p.m.