Sedalia News Journal

Tigers struggle against Hickman
By Kim Marcum
Sportswriter
The Smith-Cotton Tigers baseball team had to battle both the Hickman Kewpies and weather April 23, at Liberty Park Stadium.

Hickman was definitely the larger battle as the Kewpies capitalized on nine hits, nine walks and three hit pitches, grabbing a 12-4 win.

"Right now they're a better team than we are," commented Tigers head coach Ross Dey. "You give them some extra chances and they're going to take advantage of it. " We're just fighting a little confidence problem and when you loose a few, that kind of gets into your head, we got to learn how to compete."

Weather became another hurdle in the middle of the second with a 67 minute delay, due to lightning.

Walks and errors aided the Kewpies in the first inning. A pair of walks put runners at the corners and a fielding error at third, brought the opening run across the plate for Hickman.

James Hudles then took his first pitch and drove a line drive deep to left center for a two-run double, giving the Kewpies a 3-0 lead.

S-C (3-13) battled back in the bottom of the inning, with a run of their own. Alex Lang led off the inning, reaching on an error and a walk by Adam Archibeque put runners on first and second.

Drew Hutinger then slapped a grounder to short and reached on a fielders-choice, putting runners at the corners.

Dylan Mays picked up an RBI with a sacrifice fly ball to left field, making it a 3-1 at the end of one.

Hickman added two more runs in the top of the second. Bart Steponovich led off with a base hit up the middle and a walk put runners at first and third.

A sacrifice bunt added another run and Colen Kemble connected with base hit through the gap making it a 5-1 game, ending the night on the mound for S-C's starting pitcher Dylan Mays.

Kendall Brown came in relief and held the mound until the top of the sixth inning.

S-C had some opportunities slip away in the bottom of the second. Derik Kinde started things out on a high note for the Tigers slamming a towering shot to deep left field clearing the 356 mark for a solo home run, bringing the game within three, 5-2.

After Bryce Johnson drew a walk, Jared Hagedorn drove a single to left, giving the Tigers runners on first and second.

Another walk loaded the bases for the Tigers, but a one hopper to short ended the inning, stranding three on base.

Hudles bat came back to haunt the Tigers again in the third inning. With a runner on second he slapped a shot over the left field fence for a two-run homer, making it a 7-2 game.

Hudles turned out to be a thorn in the Tigers side during the game, picking up two doubles, a home run and four RBIs.

In the bottom of the third, the Tigers belted out four base hits and turned them into a pair of runs.

Hutinger started off the inning reaching first on a error and Mays doubled to deep right field, putting runners at second and third.

Johnson cracked a single just past the pitchers mound and loaded the bases.

Brown picked up an RBI for the Tigers with a base hit up the middle and Hagedorn sacrificed a shot to left scoring Mays, making it a 7-4 match.

Hickman took control of the game in the top of the sixth, taking advantage of S-C miscues.

A lead off walk and back-to-back errors came back to haunt the Tigers, as Hickman belted out four runs off two hits.

Hickman added one more run in the top of the seventh and capitalised on S-C probems from the mound. Two walks and two hit batters brought home the final run of the game.

"We have to do better with our pitching, we're walking way too many batters. We're coming up on the last two weeks of the season, we've got to do better and compete better," commented Dey.

Mays and Kinde both had one-run on one-hit and one RBI for S-C and Johnson, Brown and Hagedorn each had one-hit and one RBI.