By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Centennial Bank senior American Legion avenged a tournament loss from earlier in the week with an 11-3 win over Jacksonville on Tuesday at Dupree Park. Cabot (13-12) scored four runs in the top of the first inning and never trailed, even extending the lead with another four-run rally in the third.
Hayden Vinson threw all five innings for Cabot, giving up just five hits and one earned run while striking out six and walking just two.
Jacksonville’s Alex Broadwell struck out four in two-and-two-thirds innings, but also walked four and hit two batters. He gave up six hits and eight earned runs. Jared Wilson finished the game on the mound for Gwatney, giving up two hits and two earned runs.
Bryson Morris started Cabot’s rally in the first inning by drawing a one-out walk. Casey Vaughan followed that with a single to left field that scored Morris. Coleman McAtee and Ryan Logan made it three singles to left in a row to load the bases. Grayson Cole grounded to third base, where Blake Perry fielded the ball and threw home to get Vaughan out on the force. With the bases still loaded, Kyle Kaufman hit a two-out single to right field to score McAtee and Logan, and Cole scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-0.
Jacksonville’s best inning was also the first thanks to fielding errors on the first two at bats. Derek St. Clair and Troy Allen each hit grounders to Conner Vocque at shortstop, and both were misplayed. St. Clair scored on the second error and Courtland McDonald singled to drive Allen home with no outs. But that’s all the offense the Chevy Boys could produce until the fifth inning.
McDonald was caught stealing by catcher Brent Dean, and Vinson got Blake Perry to fly out to right field before walking LaDerrious Perry. Ryan Mallison then flew out to left field.
Cabot scored an unearned run in the second inning thanks to two walks and an error, then scored four runs with two outs in the third to take command of the game.
Cole was hit by a Broadwell pitch to start the inning, but the Gwatney pitcher struck out the next two batters. Cole stole second base during the second out, and Vinson singled to drive him home and make it 6-2. Broadwell walked Vocque and hit Morris to load the bases before he was replaced by Wilson.
Vaughan made it a rough start for Wilson with a bases-clearing double through the power alley in left-centerfield that made it 9-2.
Cabot scored another run in the fourth without a base hit. Cole was hit and Kaufman walked before Dean hit a sacrifice fly to left to score Cole. Vocque started the fifth inning with a base hit and Vaughan got his fifth RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly to right field to give Centennial Bank an 11-2 lead.
Jacksonville finally got back on the board in the bottom of the fifth when Allen hit a leadoff double and scored with two outs when LaDerrious Perry singled to left field.
Jacksonville will travel to Benton today and plays at home against Russellville at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
Cabot’s senior team is off until Tuesday when it hosts North Little Rock.