By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
It came down to endurance on Monday night at Wade Field.
The eight-inning affair reached into Tuesday morning and included a busted car windshield courtesy of a pop foul, a Cabot near-double play that would have ended the game, an ejected Jay Darr and a few costly Centennial Bank errors. The result was an 11-8 comeback Russellville win.
Cabot (4-5) built a 5-0 lead through the first two innings before the Mustangs began to climb back into the game in the top of the third. A new pitcher in the bottom of the second held the Cabot bats at bay after a great start, allowing Russellville to tie the game in the top of the sixth.
Centennial Bank added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth, and was set up for a game-ending double play in the top of the seventh, but Bobby Clark beat the throw to first as the tying run came across.
Cabot made extensive use of its pitching roster, starting with Andrew Reynolds before C.J. Jacoby took over in the top of the seventh. Jacoby faced four batters before Williams Baptist standout Josh Brown came on in relief.
Brown started the eighth and gave up three straight singles and a walk. Centennial Bank coach Jay Darr came out of the dugout over a sportsmanship issue surrounding the Russellville player who drew the walk. But it was Darr who was thrown out of the game after arguing with the field umpire as Chase Beasley then relieved Brown.
Cabot got off to a quick start in the bottom of the first with a double by Ty Steele, followed by an RBI single by Drew Burks and another base hit by Sam Bates. Both Burks and Bates scored on a double by Matt Turner, though Turner was out trying to stretch it into a triple.
Cole Nicholson reached on a fielder’s choice in the second, and advanced on a single by Reynolds. Both runs came across to make it 5-0 when Burks fly ball to right was misplayed.
Derrick Beard’s two-run homer in the top of the third and runs in the fourth and fifth narrowed the gap to 6-5.
Cabot’s only score in the middle stages of the game was an RBI single by Chase Thompson that plated Brandon Surdam in the bottom of the third.
A standup double by Burks’ in the top of the sixth scored Steele to break the tie at 7-6. Bates brought in Burks with a ground single to left to give Cabot a two-run cushion. But Russellville was able to tie it in the seventh.
Three singles led to three Mustang runs in the top of the eighth, and the Russellville closer sent Cabot three up and three down in the bottom of the eighth as Cabot lost its fourth in a row.
Burks was 2 of 4 with a double, four RBI and two runs. Bates was 2 of 2 with an RBI and Surdam was 2 of 4 with two runs.
Beard led the Mustangs, going 3 of 4 with a home run, three RBI and two runs.
CONWAY MBNC 9,
CABOT CENTENNIAL JUNIOR 6
Conway took a 6-1 lead in the top of the third inning before Cabot (5-9-2) answered with two runs in the bottom of the third and three more in the fourth to send the game past its allotted hour and 45 minutes.
Conway scored in the top of the fifth when leadoff hitter Matt Lowe came in on a double by Chris Reaga, while fielding errors allowed the final two runs in.
Centennial Bank tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the first. Leadoff Zack Uhiren reached on a walk, stole second and eventually came home on Justin Goff’s sacrifice fly.
Goff scored on a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the third, and Tyler Carter took advantage of a double-steal opportunity to cut MBNC’s lead to 6-3.
Uhiren, Surdam and Goff started the bottom of the fourth with three straight singles to load the bases with no outs. Carter was hit by a pitch to bring in Uhiren, followed by a single by Roberg that scored Surdam and Goff to tie it.
Surdam was 2 of 4 and Roberg had three RBI to lead Centennial Bank.
Cabot fared better at the Sheridan Legion tournament over the weekend, winning all three pool games. Centennial Bank downed host Sheridan 8-7, routed Magnolia 7-1 and took a close 9-8 win over Stuttgart.
That put them in the semifinal round against a stout Pine Bluff team, which built a 10-0 lead through three innings before Cabot was able to rally. Centennial Bank cut into the lead significantly, but ran out of time and ended the weekend with an 11-7 loss.
