By GRAHAM POWELL
Leader sportswriter
The Cabot Centennial Bank senior American Legion team had little trouble against the Little Rock Eagles on Thursday night at Brian Wade Conrade Memorial Field, as the hosts beat the visitors 13-3 in five innings.
Cabot (11-10) scored three runs in the first inning to take an early lead, but didn’t build a big lead until the last inning. Centennial Bank led 7-3 after four innings, but exploded for six runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 10-run lead and end the game on the sportsmanship rule.
Centennial Bank starting pitcher Adam Hicks held Little Rock scoreless in the top of the first, and Cabot took the lead for good in the bottom half of the inning.
Blake McCutchen and Hayden Vinson reached base on a couple of errors by the Eagles’ middle infielders to lead off the bottom of the first. Logan Kirkendoll laid down a sacrifice bunt the next at-bat to advance the runners, and both scored the following at-bat on a two-RBI single to shallow left field by Austin Null.
Null later scored the third run for Cabot on a passed ball.
Little Rock answered with two runs in the top of the second, but Cabot scored a run in each of the second and third innings to maintain a three-run lead at 5-2. The Eagles scored their final run in the top of the fourth. Cabot added three more runs in the bottom half of the inning before reeling off six in the fifth.
Collin Thames got the fifth inning started with a single to right field and Lee Sullivan walked the next at-bat. Thames then scored on a Braden Jarnagin single to right field, and Sullivan and Jarnagin later scored on a pair of passed balls, which made it a 10-3 game.
Cabot scored its 11th run on a Logan Edmondson stand-up double to deep right-center field.
Dylan Bowers scored after reaching earlier in the inning on an error at shortstop. Edmondson scored the next at-bat on a stand-up double by Brandon Jones, which put Centennial Bank up 12-3.
Jones advanced to third base shortly after on a passed ball, but was thrown out at home on a 6-2 fielder’s choice that was hit by Caleb Harpole.
After Harpole’s at-bat, Michael Shepherd hit a single to right field. That should’ve given Cabot runners at first and second, but the throw from right field to the infield was way high and off the mark. As a result, Harpole was able to score all the way from first base, giving Cabot a 10-run lead and, therefore, ending the game on the mercy rule.
Hicks earned the win on the mound. He threw all five innings and recorded seven strikeouts, while allowing six hits and just one walk. Only two of the Eagles’ three runs scored were earned.
Cabot outhit Little Rock 10-6. Edmondson, Shepherd and Thames led Cabot with two hits each, while teammates Kirkendoll, Null, Jones and Jarnagin had one hit apiece.
Josh Bucher and Lance Nolen were the only Eagles with multiple hits Thursday night. They each had two.
