Wildcat Baseball picks up four wins
Coach Cole Roark
Battle the weather, ride the bus, play lots of baseball. Spring baseball for the Wildcats continues on, and the Wildcats continue to work and get better. During a week of five varsity games and one JV game, the Wildcats picked up four wins and completed their conference schedule.
Tuesday the Wildcats took a trip to Laquey and played a single varsity game. A strong offensive attack produced 19 runs on 12 hits. Cole McCloy hit a home run and picked up four RBIs. Jason Ingram also homered and picked up five RBIs. Logan Buckner was solid on the mound, throwing the complete game and picking up three strikeouts, allowing one hit and one run. Final score: 19-1.
Wednesday was a reschedule date with the Crocker Lions. Licking played a varsity only game and dropped the matchup. The Wildcats struck the ball well, but it seemed to always find a Lion defender. Pitching was very strong for Licking, seeing Kannon Buckner allow only one earned run, with one walk and two strikeouts. Cole McCloy came on in relief and surrendered one run (none earned) on one hit, and picked up a strikeout. Defensive miscues allowed Crocker to score four runs in the bottom of the fifth and put the game out of reach. Jason Ingram had the lone RBI for Licking. Final score: 5-1.
After a day off to reassess, the Wildcats came back strong at home vs Dixon. The other opponent that showed up for the game was the rain. Raining light but steady, the already saturated field took a supreme effort from the Wildcat players to be playable, and the boys went ahead and took the field in less than stellar conditions. Jordan Ritz got the start for Licking and fought his command in the first, surrendering two runs. He settled down after that and collected five strikeouts, allowing one hit. Karson Walker took over duties in the fourth and threw two shutout innings. Trent Wood finished the game with another clean inning. Wildcat offense was rolling and collected 11 hits. Logan Buckner had three hits including a triple, and four RBIs. Jordan Ritz homered for his third of the year. Final score: 12-2.
The Wildcats finished the Frisco conference schedule 7-1.
Saturday was another road trip to South Callaway HS for a varsity doubleheader with Hallsville and South Callaway. Pitching was the dominant area of the day for Licking as Kale Cook started the day off with a complete game effort against Hallsville. The southpaw went the distance, striking out eight and walking three. Scattering six hits, he allowed three runs (two earned). Karson Walker picked up two hits and stole four bases, while Jett Sullins brought the slug to the lineup with two doubles. Final score: 8-3.
South Callaway received another strong pitching effort in the second game, this time at the hands of Conway Adey. The sophomore went six innings, allowing one unearned run on two hits. Cole McCloy came in to slam the door, picking up a save with one inning pitched and one strikeout, while facing the minimum. Final score: 3-1.
The Wildcats moved to 15-4 on the year. The next scheduled action is home vs. Hartville on April 28.
