By KELLY FENTON
Leader sports editor
Senior Lance Carr, a three-sport star at Harding Academy, had been to the postseason seven times before finally breaking through with a state championship in his very last opportunity.
Carr played three years on the basketball team, one year on the football team and four years on the baseball team. The Wildcats reached the semifinals of the state tournament last year, where they lost to current Sylvan Hills Bear D.J. Baxendale and the Abundant Life Owls.
“I waited my whole career (for a state title),” said Carr, who was 1 for 4 with two RBI on Saturday. “I won it in my last sport. It was really important.”
EXTRA, EXTRA
Harding Academy may have out-hit Marmaduke only 9-8 on Saturday, but six of those went for extra bases.
One-third of them were triples — two by Ty Finley and one by T.J. Thompson. The Wildcats also got doubles from Carr, MVP J.T. Fisher and Matthew Calhoun.
Only two of Marmaduke’s hits went for extra bases — Kyle Huckabay’s double and Dexter Jordan’s home run.
DEFENSE WINS GAMES
The team that committed the fewest errors won all seven baseball championship games.
But no game had a wider disparity than the Harding Academy-Marmaduke game. Not only did the Wildcats play error-free while the Greyhounds kicked it around to the tune of six miscues, the Wildcats turned two double plays.
Only three of Harding Academy’s eight runs were earned.
Carr began a 4-6-3 double play to end the fourth when shortstop Matt Lincoln took his relay, then made a nifty 360 spin and throw to Calhoun at first.
In the final inning, Lincoln, on in relief of winner Braxton Bennett, took the winds out of Marmaduke’s comeback sails when he fielded a comebacker to the mound and turned a 1-2-3 bases-loaded double play.
“We’ve learned to take advantage of mistakes,” said HA head coach Dennis Rine. “We tried to do that all year.”
KEEPING THE PRESSURE ON
The Wildcats came up empty in only one inning on Saturday.
They scored one run in the first, second and third innings, added one more in the fifth and four in the sixth.
Their only goose egg came in the fourth when Fisher was stranded after a two-out double.
THAT DIDN’T TAKE LONG
The Harding Academy Wild-cats needed just five seasons to reach the pinnacle of their sport.
After suffering through what Rine called “growing pains” in their first season, they improved to 13-12 in season two before winning a conference title in their third year.
Last season, they got all the way to the state semifinals.
“It’s been a quick trip, and expectations have gotten very high very fast,” Rine said. “I’ve had great people to work with: (assistants) Jerry Laird and Scott Diles helping me this year. And Mark Jackson and Roddy Mote helping me last year.
“And we’ve obviously had great players.”
