By Stephen Smoot
Head coach Sam Yokum asked for two things from his squad in last week’s sectional game against the Petersburg Vikings, “determination and grit.”
He got both, but they could not push the Wildcats over the top.
The Vikings opened the game with two singles, but the Wildcat infield capably handled the rest of the top of the first, helping to earn three outs, retiring the side. James Vincell responded with a single in the Wildcat half of the first, then stole second to get into scoring position, but Petersburg pitching quashed the threat.
Petersburg hitters cashed in at the next opportunity, however. They led off the inning with a seeing eye single that found its way past second base and into centerfield. A subsequent double to the outfield wall scored the first run. The next Viking hitter laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runner to third. On the next at bat, an infield single scored the run.
The Vikings picked up a fourth run in the inning when Cam Beachler fired the ball home from shortstop to catch a runner bounding toward home plate. The umpire called the runner safe at home.
Dusty Smith ended the inning by making a diving catch in shallow left field.
Wildcat batters battled back in the bottom of the third. Smith led off with a single to left, followed by an Allden Rexrode single on a three and two count. Chase Owens came to the plate next. Rexrode was caught stealing during the at bat, a play that would loom much larger when the final score was tallied because Owens sent a double to the wall.
Smith came home to score the initial run for Pendleton County. Vincell followed by reaching on an error to load the bases. Beachler launched a ball to deep left field that was caught, but scored the run. Caleb Armentrout followed with a single to right that earned him a run batted in and helped Pendleton County close the gap to a single run.
Seizing the momentum, Owens set down the Petersburg hitters in order in the top of the fourth.
Pendleton County threatened in the bottom of the fifth as Owens drove a sharply hit ground ball off of the shortstop’s leg, giving him first. Vincell drove a ball to deep center, but saw his effort caught just shy of the wall. Multiple deep drives by Wildcat hitters, unfortunately, fell just shy of leaving the field of play, definitely giving the game a hard luck aspect from the home team’s point of view.
Owens stole second and Beachler hit another sacrifice to move him to third, but the inning ended with the next batter. Owens again kept the game close by denying Petersburg a run in their half of the sixth. In the bottom of the inning, Dillon Smith led with a check swing seeing eye single past second base, but the Viking pitcher struck out the next three batters.
In the top of the seventh, the Vikings picked up what turned out to be a vital insurance run. They earned a lead off walk and got a two out triple to set the score at 5-3.
Wildcat hitters did not concede. In their final at bat of the game, and the season, Vincell got on with two outs. Bechler, in yet another “game of inches” moment, hit the first pitch to the wall in center field for a stand up double and an RBI.
Petersburg then struck out the final batter, escaped Pendleton County, and advanced to regional play.
