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Alex Whittle (5) takes a big cut off of a pitch during the Wildcats' game against Pittsburg Saturday. Whittle batted a perfect 2/2 in the Wildcats' 2-1 win. -
Corbin Argenbright (6) delivers a pitch during the Wildcats' game against Pittsburg Saturday. Argenbright earned the victory on the mound in the Wildcats' 2-1 victory, striking out eight batters and allowing only two hits, one walk, and one run. Photo by DJ Spencer
Earned hard fought win in second game
The Sulphur Springs Wildcats resumed action this past weekend with a pair of district games. They would be shut out in the first game, but would earn a hard fought victory in the second.
For their first game, April 12, the Wildcats welcomed the Liberty-Eylau Leopards to Wildcat Park. Unfortunately, the Wildcats suffered an 11-0 shutout loss in that game.
As a team, the Wildcats batted just 1 for 16 (.063) from the plate, with Alex Whittle recording the lone hit. Kody Barclay, Ty Holt, and Josh Perkins were the only other players to reach base, all via walks.
Whittle suffered the loss on the mound. Across four innings, he surrendered 10 hits and eight runs (three earned), tallying one strikeout. Barclay pitched one relief inning, allowing four hits and three earned runs, recording one strikeout.
The following day, April 13, the Wildcats welcomed the Pittsburg Pirates to Wildcat Park. The Wildcats would earn a 2-1 victory in that game.
The Pirates came to the plate first, facing Corbin Argenbright on the mound. Pittsburg would be retired in order following a ground out, a line out, and a strikeout.
The Wildcats stepped up the plate next. They immediately gained two runners after Kaden Mitchell hit a single and Alex Macias walked.
On the next at-bat, Argenbright hit a sacrifice bunt to move Mitchell and Macias to third and second base, respectively.
Perkins then hit an RBI single, bringing Mitchell home and giving the Wildcats a 1-0 lead. After Dobson Martin struck out, the bases loaded after Whittle walked.
On the next at-bat, Maddux Cameron reached base on a dropped third strike, and Macias scored, extending the Wildcats’ lead to 2-0. Their turn ended after Barclay struck out, ending the first inning.
The second inning started with a pop out. After the Pirates gained a runner on a walk, the runner would soon be caught stealing second base. A strikeout followed, ending the Pirates’ turn.
The bottom of the second inning kicked off with Holt grounding out. After Mitchell walked, the inning ended after Macias hit a fly ball for an out, and Macias grounded out.
The third inning started off with a single. An error on the following at-bat led to a run, trimming the score to 2-1. Three straight outs followed on a sacrifice bunt, a pop out, and a strikeout.
The bottom of the third inning began with Perkins reaching base on an error. This was followed by Martin popping out into a double play, where Kobe Pattillo, who was pinch running for Perkins, was tagged out at second base.
Following singles by Whittle and Cameron, the inning ended after Barclay struck out.
The Pirates went down in order to start the fourth inning following a ground out and a pair of strikeouts.
The bottom of the fourth inning began with Holt and Mitchell grounding out. Though a runner was then gained when Macias hit a single, the inning ended after Argenbright hit a fly ball for an out, with the Wildcats maintaining a 2-1 lead.
The fifth inning began with a fly out and ground out. After the next batter was hit by a pitch, a ground out brought the Pirates’ turn to an end.
The bottom of the fifth inning kicked off with Perkins hitting a fly ball for an out. Another out followed when Martin was thrown out on a dropped third strike.
Though a runner was then gained when Whittle hit a single, the inning ended when Cameron struck out, as the Wildcats maintained their lead.
The sixth inning started with a pair of strikeouts. Following a single, another strikeout brought the Pirates’ turn to an end.
The Wildcats went down in order during the bottom of the sixth inning after Barclay and Holt struck out, and Mitchell hit a fly ball for an out.
The Pirates were then retired in order during the top of the seventh inning after a pair of ground outs and a line out, as the Wildcats closed out a 2-1 win.
As a team, the Wildcats batted 6 for 24 (.250) from the plate. Whittle led with two hits, while Cameron, Macias, Mitchell, and Perkins all tallied one hit each. Macias and Mitchell scored one run each.
Argenbright pitched a complete game on the mound. Across seven innings, he tallied eight strikeouts, allowing only two hits, one run, and one walk.
With these results, the Wildcats are now 4-7 in district and 6-18 overall. They resumed action Tuesday, traveling to Texarkana to take on the Pleasant Grove Hawks.