Efficiency was the key feature of the Wildcats’ baseball team Friday night as they topped Marshall, 2-1 at Eagle Stadium. Pitcher Triston McCormick threw just 77 pitches in a complete 7-inning game as he scattered 8 singles and allowed only a single earned run. He struck out 4 and issued no walks.
In the Wildcats big bottom of the third inning trailing 1-0, they utilized just one hit and a sacrifice fly to score 2 runs. Marshall pitcher Trevor Clark hit a wild streak in the inning and he issued one out walks to Mason Buck, Kaden Argenbright and Heston Golightly. McCormick tied the game with a sacrifice fly ball to left field deep enough to score Buck. Ryan Humphries followed with a hot single to left field. The Mavericks’ left fielder bobbled the ball slightly and that allowed courtesy runner Ty Lopez to score all the way from second base. Coach Jerrod Hammack never hesitated and waved Lopez around third base.
The Mavericks missed an opportunity to tie the game in the sixth inning because of the Wildcats defensive play of the night. Marshall had runners on second and first, both with singles with two outs when Ty Kirkland drilled a single into right field. Wildcats’ right fielder Jamal Hobson-Cox grabbed the ball on one hop and fired a strike to catcher Argenbright who had to wait to tag out Mavericks’ runner Clark out at the plate in plenty of time. Marshall also threatened in the top of the seventh with two singles with one out. McCormick struck out Mavericks lead off hitter Jake McMullen and got number two hitter Cameron Haller to foul out to Wildcats first baseman Kamren Harrison to end the game.
The Wildcats are now 2-0 in district play and 8-5-1 for the season. Marshall slips to 0-2. The Wildcats will travel to Texas High next Tuesday night to face another of the district’s top teams.
