Wildcats go 3-1 on the week

By Editor | September 24, 2025 |

Photo by Shari Harris
Shortstop Karson Walker gets the forced out at second base in the Iberia game.

By Coach Cole Roark

On Thursday, September 18, Licking played host to Iberia. After a few days off from playing, Licking struggled to get going on the mound, giving up a three-run first inning. Licking trailed for the remainder of the game, but did make it interesting in the latter half of the game.

Scoring one run each in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, the Wildcats were in striking distance as they came to bat in the bottom of the seventh. The score was 6-3 in favor of Iberia, but the Cats were not going to go quietly. Karson Walker led off the seventh with a double, and a Conway Adey RBI single cut the deficit to two. Jason Ingram singled behind him, and Logan Buckner was then hit by a pitch to load the bases. Jett Sullins came up and hit a deep fly ball to left field for a sac fly, and the score was 6-5. It was unfortunately not enough as Licking fell to Iberia. Adey collected three hits, while Sullins, Walker, Ingram and Wood each collected one hit apiece in the loss.

Friday saw the Wildcats bounce back with a dominant performance on the mound and at the plate against Seymour. Karson Walker threw a complete game (five innings), allowing no runs on five hits, and striking out 11 while walking none. The scoring came in bunches for the ’Cats as Jason Ingram hit a two-run homer in the first inning to give Licking the lead. Colin Kuhn picked up an RBI groundout in the second inning, and then in the fourth, Licking really hit their stride. After the bases were loaded, Logan Buckner came up to the plate and hit an impressive grand slam to make the score 7-0. Four more runs in the top of the fifth sealed the win for the Wildcats in just five innings of play. Licking tallied 11 hits in the contest, including two doubles by Walker, one double each for Adey and Ingram, and the two big flies from Ingram and Buckner. Final score: Licking 11, Seymour 0.

Saturday was a doubleheader day for Licking as they traveled to Arcadia Valley High School to play the Ellington Whippets and West County Bulldogs. Even though the day was with all-wood bats, the revitalized and surging Wildcat offense (and dominant pitching) could not be slowed down. A 15-0 win over Ellington got the day started right, with a dominant outing from Colin Kuhn on the mound, as he worked the complete game of three innings, allowing one hit, one walk, and collecting six strikeouts. Not to be outdone by his counterparts, Jett Sullins hit a grand slam on his way to a five-RBI day. Parker Huff added a double to the tally as the Wildcats grabbed 11 more hits in the contest.

West County was the finale for the week of games, and as two good teams battled it out, it was once again Licking that came out on top. Trent Wood was nothing short of excellent in the contest, as the sophomore threw 6-1/3-innings before having to leave due to the pitch count. Wood allowed just three hits and one walk, while striking out 10. An RBI single from Jason Ingram put Licking on the board in the first inning, and the score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the fifth, when the Cats and their bats came alive for a five-run inning. Trent Wood singled to open the inning, and back-to-back sacrifice bunts that turned into errors loaded the bases with no outs. Karson Walker scored one on a safety squeeze, Colin Kuhn drove another in when he reached on an error, and then back-to-back-to-back singles from Adey, Ingram and Buckner gave Licking the breathing room they needed. Wood exited the game with one out in the seventh and Conway Adey came in to slam the door, getting a strikeout in the process.

Licking improved to 9-3 on the season, with home games against Alton, Van Buren and Gainesville coming up, and a trip to West County for another doubleheader. Keep it rolling, ’Cats!