PARKERS CHAPEL — The defending 2A state champion Ouachita Warriors ousted the Magnet Cove Panthers 14-1 in the quarterfinal round of the 2A-8 District Baseball Tournament in Parkers Chapel to determine postseason play at regionals.
The match-up was close in the early going in the first inning. The Panthers surged first with a 1-0 in the top half in the first inning.
But the reigning state champion Warriors answered back and routed in two runs in the bottom of the first and led the Panthers 2-1.
From this point, the Warriors sparked with a big inning in the bottom of the second and scored 10 runs which gave them a 12-1 lead against the Panthers.
The third inning was scoreless but the Warriors put the game away in the bottom of the fourth inning and scored two runs to take the 13-run lead.
In the top of the fifth, the Panthers came up short to rally back as the Warriors’ defense pulled through to secure the victory and clinch their spot for postseason action for regionals.
Ouachita scored 14 runs on nine hits while the Panthers soared for a run and held hitless against the Warriors. Magnet Cove’s Calvin McKinney scored the Panthers’ lone run of the outing in the first inning.
Defensively, on the mound pitching duo of Trey Cox and Judd Smith ignited the no-hitter performance against the Panthers.
Cox pitched four innings, allowed no hits, one run and struck out eight batters and threw 35 strikes, facing 17 batters—Smith pitched an inning, allowed no hits, no runs and struck out one batter and threw seven strikes, facing three batters.
Read full story details in Tuesday’s May 6 MDR newspaper edition.