By RAY BENTON Leader sports editor
The A Team, one of two of Cabot’s Jr. American Legion teams, closed its regular season at the Cabot Sports Complex Thursday with an 11-6 loss to a familiar foe, Mount Vernon. It was the fifth meeting between the two teams this season, and the second win for the Warhawks, though the visiting team didn’t do much except wait for Cabot mistakes. The Centennial Bank squad racked up nine errors that accounted for all 11 of Mount Vernon’s unearned runs.
In an effort to save pitching for this weekend’s Zone 3 tournament, Cabot coach Steven Moore sent a different pitcher to the mound in each of the seven innings, but the pitching mattered less than the fielding on Thursday.
Mount Vernon is made up entirely of the Mount Vernon-Enola High School team, and elected not to play the American Legion postseason, so it had the luxury of throwing its best hurler, Logan Adcock, and he was stellar during his five innings on the mound, though he got off to a slightly rough start.
After inheriting a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, Adcock walked the first two batters he faced in the bottom half. He then threw a wild pitch that allowed Brian Tillery to score.
Adcock then found his groove. He struck out the next three batters to fan the side with only the one run crossing the plate.
Mount Vernon then took advantage of a series of wild mistakes in the field to add four more runs in the top of the second before Adcock again struck out the side in the bottom half.
After another run in the top of the third made it 7-1, Adcock struck out Logan Bufford before Braylen Moore broke up the no-hitter with a single to left field. But a groundout to shortstop and another strikeout ended that inning with the Warhawks’ six-run advantage intact.
Neither team scored in the fourth, and Cabot scored a run in the fifth, though it should’ve been more. Once again, Adcock struggled briefly with control. He walked Parker Ashcraft and Hayden Wood singled to center field. Bufford then walked and Moore was hit to drive in another run. But once again, Adcock found his spot, and again struck out the side, this time with the bases loaded.
Cabot’s defense fell apart again in the top of the sixth and Mount Vernon scored its final four runs. The home team put together its own four-run rally in the bottom of the sixth. Adcock left the mound after walking the first two batters. Trenton Maness then struck out on a wild pitch, but advanced safely to first base to load the bases with no outs.
Wood then struck out before Tillery and Mark Abselica walked to drive in two runs. Harlan Chism flew out to center field, but Randy Couch walked and Reid Blackwell was hit to drive in another pair of runs. Ethan Hance then struck out to end another inning with the bases loaded.
To go with Cabot’s nine defensive errors, the A Team also left nine on base and struck out 15 times.
Despite the loss, the A Team, which is 6-17-1 on the season, entered the Zone tournament winners of four of its last six games.
Cabot is hosting the tournament at two sites, the Cabot Sports Complex and the old city park on Ritchie Road. The A Team opened play last night after Leader deadlines against Central Arkansas Christian. A win in that game means a matchup with No. 1 seed Pine Bluff at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Ritchie Road field. A loss means playing at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Sports Complex against the loser between Searcy and Batesville.
