By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Jacksonville baseball team won an exhibition game 11-6 over Central Arkansas Christian on Thursday in North Little Rock. The Titans only got seven base hits, but showed patience at the plate in drawing 10 walks to supplement the hits.
The first two innings were scoreless, but Jacksonville posted four in the top of the third and controlled the action from there. The Titans led 11-2 until the Mustangs scored four in the bottom of the last innings.
Jordan Wickersham and Gabe Helsley drew back-to-back walks to lead off the top of the third for the Titans. Caleb Smith sacrificed the runners up and Trent Toney was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Wickersham scored on a wild pitch during Kameron Whitmore’s at-bat, and Whitmore drew another walk to load the bases again.
Caden Sample then stepped into the left-handed batters’ box and hit a two-run single to left field for a 3-0 Titan lead. Quentin Stallard then hit a sacrifice grounder that scored Whitmore to complete the rally.
CAC got two back in the bottom half of the same inning, but Jacksonville scored the next seven in a row to nearly invoke the mercy rule.
Peyton Williams reached on an error to start the fourth inning, and scored two batters later on an RBI by Foster Rash.
CAC fell apart in the top of the fifth, and Jacksonville posted four more runs on just one base hit. With one out, two walks followed a hit batter to load the bases. Back-to-back errors made it 7-2. Joe Cummings then singled up the middle to drive in two more runs and give the Titans a 9-2 lead.
In the top of the sixth, Toney and Whitmore hit consecutive one-out singles. After a double steal, Sample’s grounder to second scored Toney for a 10-2 lead.
In the seventh, Rash drew a leadoff walk and Wickersham walked with one out. Deboious Cobbs then singled to center to score Rash from second base.
CAC scored its four runs in the seventh off no hits, three walks and three hit batters.
Whitmore was the only player in the game with multiple base hits. He went 2 for 2 with one walk and one run scored. Sample had three RBIs.
Wickersham pitched the first two innings for the no decision. He gave up no hits, struck out four and walked two. Rash threw the third and fourth innings and picked up the win. Jayden Loving, Kyle Williams and Peyton Williams pitched one inning each for Jacksonville, each giving up one hit.
