By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Cabot’s senior American Legion team lost its final regular-season game in bizarre fashion Tuesday. The Centennail Bank squad was run-ruled by the Kerwin’s Sporting Goods-sponsored Fort Smith Sportsmen. Making the 13-3 loss so bizarre was the fact that Cabot outhit Kerwins in the mercy-rule shortened ball game.
Cabot used four different pitchers in the game, and they combined to give up just four base hits. The Fort Smith offensive onslaught was due largely to the seven walks, two hit batters and four errors given up by the Centennial defense.
Fort Smith got five runs in the first inning on just one hit, and even it didn’t get out of the infield. The Sportsmen added three more runs in the third without the benefit of a single base hit.
Cabot entered the Zone 3 tournament at Burns Park in North Little Rock with an overall record of 15-8, and suffered from bad luck in getting the No. 4 seed out of the four teams that were tied for first place.
Cabot, Jacksonville, North Little Rock and Russellville all tied with 7-3 district records. State Deputy Commissioner Jarrel Howard decided to have the four teams draw for seedings, which ended with North Little Rock and Russellville getting the top two seeds and first-round byes in the tournament.
Cabot did get some good fortune in the odd way the brackets were laid out. As the four seed, it got matched with sixth-seeded Sylvan Hills in the first round, a team it beat last weekend 17-1.
Third-seeded Jacksonville was pitted against fifth-seeded Conway in the opening round in game two last night. Jacksonville also recently beat Conway, and has beaten the Cougars twice this season. But it had to rally from five-run deficits in both games to come out on top.
If Centennial Bank wins its first round game, it will play again at 4 p.m. today against tournament host North Little Rock. A loss means a 4 p.m. Sunday matchup against Russellville, Jacksonville or Conway.
