Beloit Junior Bandits have winning streak halted at three

BELOIT — The Beloit Bandits Junior Legion baseball team had a three-game winning streak snapped on Friday with a 3-1 loss to the visiting Racine Steelheads at the Stateline Family YMCA Youth Sports Complex.

Beloit starting pitcher Jaxon Walenga went the distance and absorbed the loss. He allowed eight hits and three walks with all three runs charged to him earned. He struck out eight.

Racine jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. The Bandits cut the deficit in half in the fourth inning. Austyn Kjendlie walked leading off against Racine’s Benjamin Neimeyer. Two strikeouts later, Kjendlie stole second and then scored on a base hit by Evin Splan. Neimeyer got out of the inning bny fanning his third Bandit.

Racine got the run back in the fifth.

Beloit’s Willmy Henriquez led off the bottom of the seventh with a single, but Neimeyer struck out the final three Bandits. He finished with a four-hitter with four walks and 13 strikeouts.

Neimeyer also led the Racine offense, going 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.

Beloit swept a twinbill at home against Whitewater on Thursday, winning 7-6 and 12-11. The second game finished too late for the Daily News’ deadline.

The five-inning slugfest saw both teams collect 11 hits.

Beloit trailed 11-10 heading into its final at-bat. Splan was hit by a pitch leading off and stole second. An out later, Driver sent him to third with a single. Tayvon Cates singled to score Splan to tie the game and Henriquez won the game with a walkoff RBI single to center field.

The Bandits used five pitchers, with the fifth picking up the win. Carter Middleton got the final out of the fifth with a strikeout.

Henriquez matched Driver going 3-for-3. Driver scored four runs and Henriquez scored twice and had a double and drove in three runs.

Next up for the Bandits is regional action starting July 19.