|
|
 |
Cardinals Cap Awesome State Tournament with 2nd Place Finish
After defeating Hector 7-2 in the first game of a double-header, the Cardinals tried to do it again in the State Championship Final game. Down 4-0 early, the Cardinals battled back just as they have all year to trail by one 6-5 after 5 innings. The game ended with the tying run on 3rd and the winning run at the plate.
Back to back home runs in the 1st inning gave Hector a 4-0 lead. With 1 out in the 2nd, Cardinals' 3rd baseman Alex Mitchell went way back onto the outfield grass to make a difficult catch look easy on a blooper down the 3rd base line by Hector leadoff hitter Trent Mosley. In the 4th with one out, Cardinals' cleanup hitter Ian Mayfield singled, stole 2nd and 3rd, and scored on Alex Mitchell's single to cut the lead to 4-1. Hector added 2 more runs in the 4th for a 6-1 lead. In the 5th, Cardinals' right fielder Josh Sunwall started a rally with a single to left field and scored on a double to the center field fence by leadoff batter Dale Abraham for a 6-2 score. After Donovan Mills drew a walk, Abraham stole home on a 3rd strike that the catcher missed to make it 6-3. Clutch hitter Alex Mitchell cut the lead to one at 6-5 when he doubled to shallow right to score Mills and Mayfield. In the bottom of the 5th, Hector cleanup hitter Matt Pruitt was thrown out at 3rd when catcher Ian Mayfield threw to Alex Mitchell to thwart the steal attempt for out number 2 of the inning. The Cardinals threatened once more in the 6th when pinch runner James Simms, representing the tying run, stole 2nd and 3rd and was in position to score when the game ended.
Alex Mitchell had a game high 3 hits on 3 for 3 hitting, and Dale Abraham added 2 hits. RBI leaders were Alex Mitchell with 3, and Abraham and Mayfield had 1 each. Simms, Sunwall, Abraham, and Mayfield had the most stolen bases in the game with 2 each. Mayfield scored twice for the Cardinals, and Abraham, Sunwall, and Mills scored once.
The Cardinals finished the State Tournament in 2nd place with a 7-2 record. Both losses were by one run and both were to teams that the Cardinals defeated in the State Tournament. The Cardinals defeated Hector 7-2 and the Dardanelle Tigers 3-2. The Cardinals finished a marvelous season as Little Oaks Champions with a 4-0 record, Reel League Champions at 17-0, District Champions at 4-1, State Runner-Up at 7-2, and had an overall record of 28-3, excluding pre-season games played under non AABA rules.
|
|
