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The Kennedale Wildcats (8-4-1, 2-0) shaking off a 0-4 run in tournament play last weekend, started off district play on Tuesday on the plus side with a big 8-2 win over the Mineral Wells Rams followed by a blasting of Castleberry 10-4. {{more: continue …}}
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Mineral Wells – Tuesday, March 13 ? (W) 8-2
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The bats returned for Kennedale as the Wildcats had 8 runs on 10 hits (3 errors) while limiting the Mineral Wells Rams to 2 runs on 3 hits (3 errors).?
- Kennedale scored 2 in the first, 1 in the 4th, 3 in the 5th and added 2 more in the 6th. The Rams two runs came in the 6th inning.?
- Jared Taylor was the winning pitcher, going 7 innings, striking out 11 and walking 1. Overall, Taylor faced 26 batters with 103 throws and pitching a total of 71 strikes (.689).?
- Reed Saenz started the scoring in the first when he hit a triple on a 1-2 count and drove in Austin Crabtree. Later Aaron Herrera hit a sacrifice fly for the final out but Saenz scored on the play for the 2-0 lead.?
- Saenz ended the game with 2 RBIs going 2 for 2 at the plate. Aaron Herrera got a hit and 2 RBIs while JD Padgett earned an RBI on a double and a walk. Bryce Hackett went 2 for 3 including a double while Austin Crabtree, Brandon Jones, Jared Taylor and Luke Michener each connected for a hit in the game.
Castleberry ? March 16 (W) 10-4
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Castleberry came into the game sporting an 8-2-1, 1-0 record. Their district win was a 9-0 shutout of Diamond Hill on Tuesday. Castleberry is one of the teams expected to challenge for the district title?
- Kennedale started slowly but ended with 10 runs off of 10 hits for the game with no errors. Castleberry got 4 runs on 9 hits with 3 errors.
- The visiting Wildcats did seemed a little timid in the early going, actually it wasn?t until the top of the 6th that Kennedale found the ball at the plate and scored 2 off of a Bryce Hackett double with two strikes against him.?
- Kennedale was still behind 4-2 but that was before the onslaught unleased by Kennedale in the top of the 7th when they outscored the Lions 8-0. Five Wildcats drove in runs in that inning including Aaron Herrera, Bryce Hackett, Jace Warren, Austin Crabtree and JD Padgett.
- Catcher Luke Michener started it all in the 7th as the first batter up with a double. After a single by Austin Crabtree and a walk by Reed Saenz the bases were loaded. A single by Aaron Herrera scored Courtesy runner Spencer Roof along with Crabtree and the game was tied 4-4. Brandon Jones walked, loading the bases again. Bryce Hackett hit a double scoring 2 and Kennedale had its first lead of the game at 6-4 with one out in the top of the 7th.?
- Jace Warren?s grounder drove in courtesy runner Cade Thompson. A single by Jared Taylor loaded the bases once again. After a strike out by Michener, Crabtree walked and with the bases loaded once again Hackett crossed the plate. Padgett who had flied out earlier in the inning, redeemed himself at the plate with a single that ended up scoring Warren and Taylor, giving Kennedale their final margin of victory at 10-4.
- In the bottom of the 7th, Kennedale pitcher Jace Warren faced four Castleberry batters as they attempted savage a win, but that ended with a pop out, a fly out, a walk and then a fly out to end the game.
- Starting pitcher for Kennedale was Ethan Wood who went 5 inning and part of the 6th. Facing 24 batters and throwing 86 pitches he threw 50 strikes, striking out 4, walking 2 while allowing 4 runs and 7 hits. In relief, Jace Warren pitched 1.2 innings, facing 8 batters, throwing 34 pitches with 18 strikes while striking out 2 with no runs and 2 hits.
- In batting stats: JD Padgett had 2 RBIs while going 1-4; Aaron Herrera had 2 RBIs going 2-5 with a double; Bryce Hackett was 3 for 4 at the plate including a double while driving in 2 runs; Brandon Jones scored a double scoring one; Austin Crabtree had an RBI; and, Luke Michener had a double.?
