By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Cabot senior American Legion baseball team had a great week for three games and six innings, but the last inning of the week on Thursday wasn’t as good.
The Centennial Bank Panthers started the week with a win over Little Rock Blue on Tuesday, beat Sheridan 7-3 on Wednesday, slammed Conway 11-1 in an early game on Thursday, then blew a 7-1 lead in the last inning against North Little Rock to fall 10-8 in Thursday’slate game at Cabot City Park.
Power was prominent in Thursday’s game as the Panthers hit three out in the two games. It was two home runs in the last two innings that did most of the damage in Cabot’s final five runs that led to the run-rule stoppage in the fifth inning.
Cabot built a 6-1 lead after three innings with four runs in the first and two more in the third while giving up a single run in the top of the third.
Dustin Morris was excellent on the mound, holding Conway to just two hits in his five innings of work. He also struck out nine Cougars, including striking out the side in the second inning.
He was also hot at the plate as the only Panther to get multiple base hits. His second hit was a big one. With teammate Justin Goff on base after a single to right-centerfield in the bottom of the fourth, Morris drove one to the same spot; only his just cleared the fence for a 9-1 lead.
In the bottom of the fifth, Tristan Bulice singled bringing Casey Vaughan to the plate. Vaughan then hit a shot to the same spot as Morris’, giving Cabot an 11-1 lead and ending the game.
For much of the nightcap against North Little Rock, missed opportunities told the story for the Colts while blown opportunities told Cabot’s story. Through six innings, North Little Rock left 10 runners on base. Cabot left just seven on base in the game, but was thrown out on the base paths five times, twice at third and three times at home plate.
Patient base running likely would have ended the game with another run-rule win for the Panthers.
Cabot slowly built a 3-1 lead through five innings with a single run in each of the first, second and fourth innings. But the second innings should have been much bigger. Five Panthers went to the plate in the second, and all five got base hits. One scored, three were thrown out at home plate and one was left on base.
Compounding the shortfall of the aggressive base running in the second inning, the first two batters of the third inning got base hits as well.
Dustin Morris led off the second inning with a single to left field. Cole Thomas then singled to right and Morris moved to second. Tyler Wilkie then singled to right and Morris tried to make it home, but was thrown out, leaving Cole and Wilkie at third and second base. Nine-hole hitter Scott Burnett then doubled to left, scoring Thomas, but Wilkie also tried to score on the play and was also thrown out. Bryson Morris then stepped to the plate and singled to centerfield. Burnett also tried to round third and score on the hit and was gunned down at the plate.
In the third inning, Bulice led off with a single to left field and Vaughan followed with an infield single to third base. When the throw went to first, Bulice tried to get to third, but was thrown out.
Cabot added an unearned run in the third inning after getting another runner thrown out at third base. Wilkie reached on an error at shortstop and scored two batters later on an RBI single by Bryson Morris.
Still leading 3-1, Cabot seemed to take control of the game in the bottom of the sixth when Bulice smashed a pitch over the fence in left field with the bases loaded. Dustin Morris and Thomas led of the inning with back-to-back base hits. The next two batters went down, but Bryson Morris drew a walk to load the bases. With two strikes, Bulice’s grand slam made it 7-1 with one inning left to play.
Bryson Morris, who took the mound in the sixth in relief of starter Ryan Logan, struggled to find the strike zone and was left on the mound for the duration of the inning. North Little rock scored nine runs in the seventh off just two base hits. Bryson Morris walked five, hit two batters and gave up the base hits, the last a bases-clearing triple by Michael Hodge that gave the Colts their first lead of the game at 10-7.
Bryson Morris then struck out Evan Johnson to finally end the inning, and Cabot almost made a comeback with a two-out rally.
Tyler Carter flew out to centerfield to start the inning and Goff singled to left field. He was thrown out on a fielder’s choice by Dustin Morris, leaving Morris safe at first base. Thomas then singled for the third time in the game.
Wilkie also singled with a slow bouncer down the third baseline. Wilkie beat the throw to first, but it was also off the mark, clearing the way for Dustin Morris to score and make it 10-8. That brought Bryson Morris back to the plate, who was 3 for 3 with a walk, but Morris struck out looking at a called third strike on a full count.
It was the last of several ball-strike calls that drew the ire of fans and coaches from both sides of the field.
The week’s three wins and one loss leave Cabot with an overall record of 14-12. The Panthers’ next game will be at 7 p.m. Monday at home against Little Rock-Continental Express.
