Arkansas’ Wehiwa Aloy crushed three home runs in Thursday’s loss to Hyannis, 8-7. This is Aloy’s third consecutive game with one or more home runs — fireworks shooting up in the sky as he crossed the plate following his third homer of the night.
The shortstop’s first was a two-run homer beyond right-center field in the fourth to put Y-D up 2-1. He then smashed one over the center field fence in the sixth. His third and final homer was ripped out to right-center field to bring Y-D one run shy of tying the game in the eighth. Aloy is now the sole league leader in both home runs with seven and RBI with 18.
Another homer from UNC’s Gavin Gallaher extended Y-D’s lead earlier in the game. This was Gallaher’s first home run of the season for Y-D, bringing in three runs and traveling 409 feet back over the center field fence.
Starting on the mound for Hyannis was Aaron Savary, who collected an impressive eight strikeouts across three innings pitched. Despite this, Y-D was still able to produce some more big-time hits.
Y-D continued the dominant energy on offense with Texas Tech’s Cade McGee, who went 2-for-3 at the plate. He notched the first hit of the game with a single to left field in the second inning and cracked a single to the same spot later on in the fourth.
LSU's Micah Bucknam started on the mound for Y-D and collected three strikeouts across the four innings he threw. Wichita State's Caleb Anderson and Kennesaw State's Nolan Sliver both made appearances on the mound for the Red Sox, but Hyannis’ bats came alive by the third inning, putting the pressure on Y-D.
The Harbor Hawks answered Y-D’s attack on offense with back-to-back doubles in the fourth from catcher Camden Janik and designated hitter Mason White. Singles from right fielder Nick Groves and center fielder Kane Kepley in the third also helped generate energy for the Harbor Hawks’ offense.
A double from Hyannis third baseman Wallace Clark sent two runs home and put the Harbor Hawks one run away from tying the game in the fifth. Janik then hit a deep sacrifice fly to send the game-tying run across the plate for Hyannis. To cap off the inning, White hit a 430-foot three-run homer to put the Harbor Hawks over Y-D, 8-5, giving them the lead for the rest of the game.
Aloy’s second and third home runs of the game chipped away at Hyannis’ lead, bringing the score to 8-7 by the eighth inning. Texas' Aiden Moffett then came to the mound in the bottom of the sixth and notched two strikeouts for Y-D in the two innings he threw, shutting down the Harbor Hawks on offense for the rest of the game.
Despite a breathtaking performance from Aloy at the plate, Y-D ultimately fell to Hyannis, 8-7, in the end. The Red Sox (11-5) will be back home Friday to face the Orleans Firebirds (4-12) at 5 p.m.
