Cats extend win streak to 3

The Wildcat varsity baseball team followed up a win in Kilgore with two more wins last week, dropping Jacksonville 11- 1 at home and then topping Pine Tree on the road 12-5.

The secret to the Cats winning ways of late has been some hot bats and solid defense. In the Jacksonville game, the Cats pounded out 15 hits, with 12 coming after the fourth inning.

Taylor Peterson worked the mound for the Cats allowing only a lead off homer through four innings of work, striking out two and walking only one batter. Peterson was the beneficiary of solid defense by the Cats as they turned two double plays on the night to get out of two of the innings. The one walk by Peterson was quickly erased as Seth Cashion gunned down the runner attempting to steal second.

Cody Brown came in the game in the fifth and worked two scoreless innings of relief striking out four of the eight batters he faced.

It looked like the Cats offense was dead until the fifth inning when they broke open a 2-1 lead. Heath Mayo and Ryan Bell led off with singles and then both scored on Cashion's triple to right center. Matt Durst then had a sacrifice fly to right to plate pinch runner, Blake Shockley. Grant Brandon then singled and scored the fourth run of the inning on a double to right by Kevan House.

The Cats put the game away with five more runs in the sixth inning. Brown led off with a double to left center and scored as Mayo doubled off the wall in dead center. Then as Mayo reached third safely on a run down he took advantage of home plate being vacated by the catcher and sprinted home to give the Cats an 8-1 lead.

Bell then followed with a hit and scored on a double to center by Cashion. Shockley later scored the final run on another single by Brandon.

Cashion had a perfect night at the plate going 3-3 with a walk, coming up just a home run shy of the cycle. Brandon went 3-4, Mayo and House were each 2-3 with a walk, and Bell went 2-4.

The hitting parade continued on the road Friday night as Whitehouse picked up 14 hits to top Pine Tree in a big road win 12-5. Durst worked the mound for the win pitching five innings and allowing seven hits and two walks while striking out three. Peterson came in relief in the fifth and worked out of a bases loaded, no out jam, to get three straight outs and end a serious Pirate rally. He then pitched the last two innings to get the save.

The Cats offense continued its hot pace as they tagged the Pirates for two runs in the first inning highlighted by a triple to deep center by Cashion.

Leading 2-1 in the top of the third, the Cats pushed across four more runs with the big blow coming from a two-run homer by Brandon to left center. The Cats jumped on the Pirates for four more runs in the fourth inning as Bell led off with a double and then traded places with Cashion on another double. Brandon singled again for another RBI and Kevan House walked and later scored to give the Cats a 10-2 lead that they held onto for the 12-5 win.

The Cats return home tomorrow night to face the visiting Lions from Henderson.