Mustangs falter against Poth, 8-4

POTH – Unearned runs and a big inning proved fatal for the Nixon-Smiley Mustangs Friday as they lost a district matchup against the Poth Pirates, 8-4.

Nick Pena pitched a complete game for the Mustangs, giving up four earned runs, five hits and two walks while also striking out three Pirate batters.

The Pirates jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but Nixon-Smiley cut it in half with a run in the second, before Poth added a run in the third for a 3-1 edge. Poth then used a huge, five-run fourth inning to extend its lead to 8-1.

The Mustangs had three more outs to work with in the seventh inning, hoping to muster some sort of comeback. Nixon-Smiley scored three runs to cut the deficit to 8-4, but it proved too little too late as the Pirates came away with the win.

Raul Tovar led the Mustang hitters, going 3-for-4 with an RBI. Tom Palacio snagged two hits of his own, while Jared Van Auken had a hit and two RBIs.

The Mustangs play at home at 7 p.m. today against the Schulenburg Shorthorns.