By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Cabot’s defense was sketchy early. Parkview’s was abysmal throughout a five-inning affair at Kanis Park in Little Rock. The Panther baseball team beat the Patriots 17-2 in a game marred by errors.
Both teams committed two errors in the first inning. Parkview ended the frame with a 2-1 lead, but it didn’t last. Cabot added another unearned run in the second thanks to another Patriot error.
The Panthers added one more unearned in the third, and the wheels fell off for Parkview in the fourth.
Cabot sent 12 batters to the plate and scored 10 runs in the top of the fourth before Parkview recorded a single out. Parkview committed four errors in the first three innings, but committed seven more in the fourth.
Cabot had only two base hits through three innings, but in the fourth the Panthers added several base hits and a few walks to go with all the errors.
Before fourth inning was over, 19 Panthers had batted, seven got base hits, five reached on errors and four walked.
“That’s pretty uncharacteristic for that team,” Cabot coach Jay Fitch. “They’ve struggled the past few years, but they’ve gotten better and really given some good teams a hard time. I liked that we were making good swings and making good contact.”
Parkview pitcher Patrick Yarberry struck out the side in the first inning, but two errors at second base allowed a run to score. He gave up one hit and one unearned run in each of the second and third innings.
Cabot’s eight-hole hitter Kason Kimbrell started the fourth inning by reaching on an error at second base. He got to second base on a passed ball and to third on a bunt single by Bryson Morris. Kimbrell then scored on a passed ball and leadoff hitter Hayden Vinson singled to left field to score Morris.
Cole Thomas reached when Yarberry fielded his bunt and hit Vinson in the back on his throw to first base. Vinson also scored on the play. Thomas then scored when Parkview’s catcher tried to pick him off at third and threw the ball high into left field. T.C. Carter reached on an error at shortstop and Casey Vaughan doubled down the third base line. That ended Yarberry’s day on the mound. He gave up six hits and walked one, and despite trailing 7-0, gave up no earned runs.
Parkview’s Evan Harris took the mound and walked the first two batters he faced to drive in Carter. Zach Patterson then singled to score another run and Kimbrell singled on his second at bat of the inning for two RBIs. Morris reached on another error at second base and Vinson popped up to first base for the first out of the inning.
Thomas walked and Carter doubled to left field to score Kimbrell. Morris scored on a passed ball and an error by the catcher. After the pitch got by, it bounced right back to home plate, giving the Parkview catcher plenty of time to apply the tag, but he dropped the ball while doing so.
Vaughan reached on an error at third base and Goffe grounded back to the pitcher for the second out. Scott Burnett singled to left to for two RBIs than ended the scoring in the inning. Kimbrell was robbed of a second base hit on his third at bat of the inning when Parkview centerfielder Mike Fitzgerald made a running, sliding catch of a fly ball behind second base for the final out of the inning.
