by Malcolm Butler
Cedar Creek defeated Riverside Academy 8-4 in their final game of the Trey Altick Tournament Saturday after falling to Springfield (3-2) and Catholic Pointe Coupee (7-6) the previous two days.
“I thought we fought hard in all three games played in the tournament and we continue to show improvement each time we touch the field,” said head coach Chad Yates. “The dugout energy was awesome, and each guy was trying to find a way to help his team win baseball games.”
Cedar Creek 8, Riverside 4 (Saturday)
The Cougars (5-4) overcame four errors by plating five runs over their final two at bats to defeat Riverside Academy 8-4.
Blake Wade (2-3, 3 runs), Trent Franklin (1-2, 2 RBI), Brett Bell (2-4, RBI), Jackson Mock (2-2, RBI) led the Cougars at the plate during the win.
After Creek scored two runs in the first, including an RBI single by Bell, Riverside Academy tied the game at 2-2 with two in the top of the third inning. However, Creek answered in the bottom half of the inning on a two-out RBI single by Mock to give the Cougars a 3-2 advantage.
Starting pitcher Max Brister kept Riverside Academy off the scoreboard in the fourth and fifth innings as he worked 5.1 innings while allowing just three runs — one earned — on five hits and no walks with one strikeout.
In the bottom of the fifth, Wade singled and Franklin walked and with two outs, a wild pitch and then a throwing error allowed both runners to score to make it 5-2 Cougars.
After Riverside plated a run in the top of the sixth, Cedar Creek responded with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Noah Durrett tripled and eventually scored without the benefit of a hit. Franklin then doubled later in the frame to plate two more runs to give Creek an 8-3 advantage.
Bell pitched the final 1.1 innings in relief, allowing one run on one hit.
Catholic Pointe Coupee 7, Cedar Creek 6
Catholic Pointe Coupee scored four runs in the first two innings and added three more in the sixth to pick up the win over the Cougars.
Cedar Creek committed five errors in the game, leading to five unearned runs.
Kade Luker (1-2, 2 runs), Blake Wade (1-3, RBI), Ladd Thompson (1-2, run, 2 RBI), Brett Bell (1-3, run) and Max Brister (1-1, run, RBI) led the Cougars offensively.
Jackson Mock got the start on the mound and worked 1.2 innings, allowing four runs — two earned — on four hits and three walks.
JB Robinson came on in relief and worked 4.0 innings, allowing three unearned runs on just one hit and no walks while striking out two. Hayden Durrett tossed 1.2 innings, allowing no runs on two hits with two strikeouts.
After falling behind 4-1 after two innings, the Cougars came back to tie the game at 4-4 through five innings before Catholic – PC plated three runs in the top of the sixth.
Springfield 3, Cedar Creek 2
The Cougars led 2-0 after five innings, but Springfield scored one in the sixth and two more in the seventh to record the come-from-behind victory.
Blake Wade (1-3, run, RBI), Ladd Thompson (1-2, RBI), Jackson Mock (1-3) recorded the only three hits of the game for the Cougars. Cedar Creek drew seven walks in the game.
Kade Luker and Max Brister were stellar on the mound, allowing just two hits and zero earned runs in the game. Luker struck out 10 batters in 5.0 innings of action without allowing a hit, while Brister worked the final 2.0 innings, allowing two unearned runs on two hits.
The Cougars travel to face Loyola (Shreveport) today with the JV playing at 4 p.m. and the varsity at 6 p.m.
