The Hope Bobcats traveled to neighboring Little River County on Thursday April 9th to face the 3A State Champion Ashdown Panthers. The Bobcats played a great first half of the game until they allowed a stunning eight run outing from the Panthers in the bottom of the fifth inning, finishing the scoring for the game and ending 10-5 Panthers.
The match up began as a riveting offensive display from both sides, with Bobcats Jaiden Brown and Austin Courtney leading off the offensive with two consecutive singles. Donny Reaves bunted, getting to 1st but making way for Jaiden to be picked off at 3rd, before Sam Johnson earned a walk, loading the bases. Drake Mathis’ drive out to the Panther shortstop on fielder’s choice drove Austin in to score the first run of the game. Ashdown would respond right back in the bottom of the first with an RBI single by #20 Logan Johnson bringing in #2 Riley Williamson and then a second run by #9 Colton Rowe scored on a wild pitch, ending the first inning with a score of 2-1 Ashdown. Hope would produce a response of their own in the top of the second however with Austin Courtney earning an RBI from a fielder’s choice, scoring Aiden Dean.
After an explosive start to the game for both offenses, the game switched to a much more controlled and defensive battle, with great performances from Third Baseman Riley Bramlett, Shortstop Jaiden Brown, and solid pitching from Israel Juarez. The game would soon shift into the Bobcat’s hands in the top of the fifth, as the Bobcats would work out three runs from having two early outs. The scoring drive would start with Cayden Haywood being walked, Aiden Dean grabbing a single to right center field, and then Israel Juarez smashing an RBI single to score Cayden. Aiden Dean would score next on a wild pitch, and lead off man Jaiden Brown would crush an RBI double to drive in Israel for the Bobcat’s fifth and final run of the game. After all of their incredible work to take a three run lead however, the Bobcats would suffer an indescribable bottom of the inning, letting up eight runs, half of which to walks, finalizing the game’s score as 10-5 Panthers.
The Bobcats will have one final chance this week to earn a win, as they will rematch the Camden Fairview Cardinals at home on Friday, April 10th, at 5:00pm.
