Taylor Jeter takes the field against the Sandhills Bogeys.
Travis Petty Jr | The Laurinburg Exchange
LAURINBURG — Same mistakes, same results. When are the Highland Hooligans going to break the pattern? For what has seemed to be the theme of every game thus far, the Highland Hooligans started off slowly, coming back only to lose in the final innings.
Hooligans are in a rough stretch, losing their last three of four games each with the same meaning. The little things, relying on one inning, not executing, not being able to finish out games and starting out slow. Will the Highland Hooligans ever find a way out of this cycle?
“Playing a complete game, every game it’s the same thing,” head coach J.R. Polak claimed.“Sometimes we start slow, sometimes we start fast. We were down 6-0, and in the blink of an eye, we made it 6-5. That’s the type of team we are; it’s just about putting it all together.”
Against the Sandhills Bogeys, the Hooligans found themselves down 6-0. The Hooligans were sparked in the bottom of the seventh inning after a three-run homer by Logan Wallace, making the score 5-6. But once again, the Hooligans ran out of steam, losing the match 8-5.
“Started off slow again,” Nate Simon stated. “We didn’t execute on the small things, nothing went our way. The bottom of the seventh jump started for us, but then we became stagnant and everything went downhill.”
After the game, players showed visible disappointment following the loss. The weight of another defeat in the same fashion is weighing on the team. Though things have reached a low point for the Hooligans. Still, Polak is confident in his team.
“The past two games they have been losses, but we’re playing competitive baseball,” Polak said. “I’m confident we can turn it in the right direction. I see the talent, we just need to be able to put a full game together.”
“We have the capability to win 10 in a row. That’s how talented we are. It can happen at any time, as a team, we’re not panicking, we know we are competing as a team and doing all the little things that will be equivalent to winning.”
In a crucial test, the Hooligans (6–12) will take on the Jacksonville Ospreys on July 2 at Legion Park at 7 p.m. Could this be the turning point for the Hooligans?
Travis Petty Jr can be reached at tpetty@cmpapers.com or 910.506.3171 ext 2027. Follow him on X @T_PettySports.