The Wildcats’ baseball team struggled against Texas High in a 10-3 loss in Texarkana Saturday, The game was played in cold and blustery weather Saturday after a postponement Friday due to rain.
Wildcats Baseball Coach Jerrod Hammack said Texas High played like a team fighting for its’ playoff life. The Wildcats could not match the Tigers intensity. The Wildcats were outhit 11 to 6. The Tigers played error free ball while the Wildcats made three miscues. Wildcats’ pitchers issued six walks.
Trouble started early for the Wildcats. After they went three up and three down in the top of the first, Texas High scored two unearned runs in the bottom of the first. After a dropped fly ball, the Tigers got three straight two out hits to score twice. The Wildcats cut the deficit in half with a run in the top of the second. With one out, Jaxon Chaney doubled and then scored on a Kamren Harrison RBI double. Harrison was stranded at second. Texas High then blew open the game with five runs in a nightmarish bottom of the third for the Wildcats. The inning started with a Tiger single and a walk. A Texas High triple plated two runs. Then on a ground ball, the Wildcats threw home trying to get the Tiger runner coming to the plate but the throw went awry. Later a throw to first on a grounder bounced away and another run scored. The fifth run scored on an RBI single. The Tigers were up 7-1 after three innings. The Tigers added another run in the bottom of the fifth inning. A Tiger walked, stole second and went to third when the throw to second ended up in center field. An RBI single drove in the Texas High runner from third and the Tigers were up 8-1 after five innings. Texas High scored their final two runs in the bottom of the sixth. They drew a walk and then used back to back doubles to score the two runs. The Tigers were up 10-1 after six innings.
The Wildcats managed a couple of runs in the top of the seventh. Harrison and Jase Thompson began the inning with walks. Gavin Millsap’s single loaded the bases with no one out. Austin Dodd drove in Harrison with a ground ball that resulted in a force out at second. Kaden Argenbright hit a single that scored Thompson. The rally was then snuffed out on an unusual double play. The Tigers’ right fielder made a nice catch on a fly ball and then the ball was thrown to second to double off a Wildcat who was running after the ball was hit. The loss was costly for the Wildcats as they apparently fell out of a first place tie with Hallsville.
The Wildcats are now 7-2 in district play and 14-9 for the season. Coach Hammack noted that the Wildcats will have to go almost a week before they have a chance to get rid of the bad taste of defeat. Next the Wildcats play Mount Pleasant at home on Friday. The Wildcats’ final three district games are all at home.
