Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
On Wednesday, March 15, the Madison County High School (MCHS) Cowboys varsity baseball team hosted the Bucks of Bozeman High School, from Panama City, Fla. The Bucks came to Boot Hill as one of the top-ranked teams in Florida Class 1A baseball. Although the Cowboys had several leads during the game, in the end, the Bucks prevailed in the high-scoring contest, 10-7.
The game started on a high note when Jackson Kendrick ripped a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning, giving the Cowboys a 1-0 lead. That lead was short lived as the Bucks responded by tying the game at 1-1 in the top half of the second inning. The score remained tied until the bottom of the fourth inning when the Cowboys added two more runs to take a 3-1 lead. During the fifth inning, each team scored two runs, giving the Cowboys a 5-3 lead, going into the sixth inning. That is when the Bucks were able to capitalize on a series of Cowboy miscues, scoring four runs in the top half of the sixth inning, to take their first lead of the game. The Cowboys cut the Bucks' lead in half when Kyler Richie hit a solo home run that sailed over the right field fence. The score was 7-6, going into the seventh inning. The Bucks made the task of a come back more difficult for the Cowboys by scoring three insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning. The Cowboys attempted a rally, loading the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Cowboys were able to bring one base runner home, but that was the extent of the Cowboys' rally, as the Bucks held on to take a 10-7 win back home to Panama City.
Richie had one hit in his five plate appearances, a solo home run, giving him one RBI for the evening. Kendrick also had one hit in his four at-bats, a solo homer to give him one RBI. Josh Watts went one-for-three, with one RBI. Tyler Glavich had one hit in his four at-bats, with three RBIs.
Parker Copeland, Luke Hanners and Thad Lawson all saw time on the mound for the Cowboys, giving up a total of eight hits, three earned runs and six walks, while striking out six batters. In the end, a total of six fielding errors proved to be costly for the Cowboys.
The Cowboys bounced back in a big way on Thursday, March 16, when they traveled to Statenville to play the Wildcats of Echols County High School. The Cowboys scored early and often as they defeated the Wildcats 12-2, in a six-inning victory. By the bottom of the fourth inning, the Cowboys had amassed a 10-2 lead. Two additional unanswered runs in the sixth inning resulted in an early end to the contest.
Evan Lago had two hits in three at-bats, with three RBIs. Watts had two hits in his four trips to the plate, with one RBI. Copeland had one hit and two RBIs for his three plate appearances. Jason McDaniel had a solo homer in his four trips to the plate.
Lawson picked up the win for the Cowboys, going four innings on the mound, yielding four hits, zero walks and striking out four batters. JD Bryan made a brief appearance after being sidelined for several weeks, due to injury. Bryan pitched two innings, giving up one hit, no walks and striking out three.
The Cowboys will be on their home diamond again on Friday, March 24, when they host the Maclay High School Marauders. The first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.