By FRED CONLEY
Special to The Leader
PALESTINE – Magnet Cove’s Conner Wells threw seven innings of no-hit ball and struck out 16 Carlisle hitters, but four walks and two errors left him the losing pitcher in Friday’s first-round game at the Class AA East Regional Tournament played at Palestine City Park.
Carlisle’s Josh Mathis was nearly as effective, allowing two hits while striking out 10 and took the win as the Bison won 2-0, eliminating the top-seeded Magnet Cove team.
Carlisle’s Chance Richards led off the third inning with a walk and came around to score on a sacrifice fly. The Bison added an insurance run in top of the seventh when Jaden Daniels walked and scored on a wild pitch.
In Saturday’s semifinals, Carlisle ran into another pitcher on a hot streak in PWHS’s Jacob Jumper, who threw seven shutout innings in the Pats’ 7-0 win over the Bison.
The victory sent the Patriots into the championship game and Carlisle into the consolation game on Monday against Poyen, who rallied to take a 5-4 win after the Bison led 4-1 for much of the game.
Conference foes in the 6AA, P-W swept the conference series winning 13-3 and 4-2.
Palestine-Wheatley scored in the first inning when Corbitt Cooper’s sacrifice to left field plated Delan Parkman.
The Patriots blew the game open with a six-run third inning, highlighted by Jumper’s single before Hunter Parson’s two-run double.
Jumper held Carlisle to three hits and two walks with four strikeouts, while P-W got seven runs on five hits. Nicholas Schafer, Dylan Brazeal and Jacob Cagle had the only three Carlisle hits.
Jacob Gordon took the pitching loss, giving up all seven P-W runs on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts.
Carlisle heads into the Class AA state tournament as the No. 4 seeded team from the East and will play a first-round game on Thursday at 3 p.m. at Taylor Field in Pine Bluff. Poyen, the No. 3 seed, will play Thursday at 5:30 p.m., while Palestine-Wheatley, the No. 1 seed, takes the field Thursday at 10 a.m., and Abundant Life plays at 12:30 p.m.