Longhorns uneven in trio of early week games
Marengo Academy shut Pickens out for the six innings of play Monday to hang on for a 4-1 victory and move to 13-13 on the season.
Hayden Campbell did yeoman’s work on the mound, mixing his pitches enough to limit Pickens to three hits and one earned run while striking out five. Dylan Mendenhall pitched the seventh for the save.
Cody Cobb reached on an error in the first and proceeded to steal both second and third before scoring on another error for the early Longhorn lead. John Parker Brock singled with one out in the third to ignite the defining rally of the game. Gavin Thompson, Hunter Parker and Cameron Dodd all drove in runs in the inning for a 4-1 Marengo advantage.
Thompson highlighted the offense with two of the team’s five hits. Parker and Campbell each finished with a hit apiece.
That momentum appeared to carry over to Tuesday as Marengo built an early 4-0 lead in game one against rival Patrician Academy. The lead proved short-lived, however, as the Saints scratched out two runs in the top of the third, two in the fifth and one in the sixth for a 5-4 win.
Parker’s two-out single in the home half of the first plated Cobb, who opened the frame with a single of his own. Dodd reached on an error to start the second and later stole third before scoring on another error. Cobb then tripled with two away in the inning to drive in Mendenhall for the 3-0 lead. Cobb later scored on an error to for the 4-0 advantage.
Patrician wasted little time getting back in it as Jake Allen walked to open the third ahead of a Anderson Newman double. Stratton Lewis following with a double to plate Allen and cut it to 4-1. Newman scored on a double play to narrow the gap to 4-2.
Despite four straight singles and a walk to begin the fourth, the Saints failed to score. Lebo McBride’s single started a rally in the fifth to draw PA closer. He moved to second on a passed ball and scored on Garrett Lewis single to narrow it to 4-3. Carson Jimerson singled to left to plate Garrett Lewis and tie the game.
McBride reached on an error with one away in the sixth and later scored on a Blake Reid double to put the Saints on top.
Reid pitched around Carson Crawford’s leadoff single in the bottom of the seventh to preserve the win. He struck out four batters over seven innings of work on only 87 pitches while scattering five hits and allowing one earned run.
The nightcap was far less kind to the Longhorns as Patrician scored in all five innings to roll to a 15-0 win.
McBride had two hits, drove in two runs and scored once. Garrett Lewis scored once. Reid had three hits, three RBIs and a pair of runs scored. Seth Koen drove in a run. Jimerson had a hit, one RBI and a run scored. Thomas Lewis scored a run.
Matthew Newton had a hit, one RBI and two runs scored. Allen finished with two hits and two runs scored. Newman notched four RBIs with two hits and two runs scored. Stratton Lewis had three RBIs, three hits and two runs scored.
Reid doubled twice in the game while Stratton Lewis, McBride and Newman each had one double.
Jimerson struck out seven batters over five innings of work and scattered three hits.
The Longhorns tallied only three hits. Cobb had a double and a single while Brock had a single.
Marengo sits at 13-15 on the season. Patrician is now 15-9.