By Jason King
Leader sports writer
IN SHORT: The Home Depot team struggled through three losses this week, falling to Sylvan Hills, Little Rock ASO and Russellville.
It was not a kind week for the Cabot Home Depot AAA American Legion team. Three games saw three losses for Cabot. After a close 2-0 shutout at the hands of Sylvan Hills to start out the week, Cabot hosted LRAE/Catholic on Tuesday and Russellville Thursday.
Catholic handed them a 9-1 loss Tuesday, followed by a five-inning run-ruled 10-1 loss at the hands of Russellville Thursday.
The only score for Home Depot in Tuesday’s game against LRAE came from lead-off batter Corey Wade. Wade opened for Cabot by reaching with a walk, and would be driven home with an RBI from Sam Bates. Catholic led 2-1 after the first inning, and would slowly build on that lead for the remainder of the contest.
A single from Colin Fuller in the second inning and a double for Daryl Murphy in the fifth inning were the only two hits allowed by winning Catholic pitcher Joseph Glanery. Bates took the loss for Cabot as one of three pitchers for Home Depot in the game.
Thursday’s game with Russell-ville would be even uglier. The game looked like it would be evenly matched in the opening inning. Each team went four batters deep during their turn in the first, and both would come away with a hit.
Josh Boger got the first hit off starting Cabot pitcher Colin Fuller in the top of the first, hopping it to right field for a single. Cabot’s three-hole hitter would also hit in the opening inning. Bates sent a shot of his own to right for the single, but was left on a pop-up from Chris Gross to end the inning.
The top of the second and top of the fourth would be the innings of doom for Cabot. Russellville took a big early lead with five runs in the second, and followed that with five more in the fourth to put the game into run-rule status.
After easily handling the first batters in the Russellville lineup to start the game, Fuller struggled in the second. Lead-off batter Josh Williams came away with a huge triple to centerfield to put a run in position right away. A single by Garrett Hill scored Williams, followed by a walk and another single to load the bases for the Cogswell Motors team with only one out.
An error allowed the first run to score, followed by a double to center from Boger to score Caleb McGee and Lucas Cox. Before it was over, Russellville had racked up a 5-0 lead over Cabot.
Fuller looked better during the third inning, allowing no hits or runs in the inning. The Russellville bats heated up once again for the fourth inning, however. Four hits, two errors and a passed ball allowed five more Russellville runs to score, putting them to a commanding 10-0 lead.
Although not its best performance at the plate this season, Cabot refused to be shutout in the game. Home Depot took advantage of a pair of Russellville errors in the bottom of the fourth to put their only run of the evening up on the board.
Gross reached with an error at second base, and was driven in for the run when Fuller hit a fly into center that was missed. Gross’ run would end hopes of a Russellville shutout, but was not enough to avoid the run-rule.
Cabot loaded the bases in the fifth inning, but Russellville made a solid play at the plate off a bunt from Justin Free to avoid another score.
Cabot finished the game with one run, two hits and five errors. The losses give the Home Depot team records of 3-5 in AAA action and 6-10 overall. Cabot will host Jacksonville at the Brian Conrade Sports Complex Sunday at 2:30 p.m. in AAA action.
