Wolves Split With Bobcats

WESSON – The Co-Lin Baseball team returned to action hosting Jones on Tuesday, March 19 for their home conference opener. The Wolves split the doubleheader with the No. 10 Bobcats walking off game one, 6-5, in 11 innings and then dropping game two, 12-4.

GAME ONE

The game was scoreless through the first two and a half innings of play as the Wolves broke through with a single run in the bottom of the third. Sam Cook (Shubuta) hit a leadoff double, took third on a wild pitch, and then later scored on an RBI groundout by Brentley Berry (Magee) giving the Wolves a 1-0 lead.

The Wolves then scored four runs in the fifth as Cook drew a leadoff walk followed by a single by Isaac McClenty (Ridgeland). Later in the inning, Tucker Jones (Brandon) hit a one-out single to load the bases while Cook, McClenty, and Jones scored on a three-RBI triple by Hagan Coumbe (Utica) to increase the Wolves lead to 4-0. Coumbe then later scored on a two-out RBI single by Lucas Harrington making the Wolves lead, 5-0.

The Bobcats offense continue to be stalled out by the Wolves and their starting pitcher Dee Morgan (Tallulah, LA) but broke through with a solo leadoff home run in the top of the eighth to cut the Wolves lead down to 5-1. The Bobcats then scored four in the top of the ninth to tie the game at 5-5. The Wolves then got a leadoff pinch hit single from Sawyer Dunn (Magee), but a double play followed by a groundout ended the inning sending the game to extra innings.

The Bobcats got a one-out single in the top of the tenth, but the Wolves kept the go-ahead run stranded and then were retired in order in the bottom half of the inning. The Bobcats then got a leadoff single in the top of the eleventh, but after a sacrifice bunt moved the go-ahead run into scoring position Lucas Harrington (Youngsville, LA) got back-to-back strikeouts to keep the run stranded again. Harrington then led off the bottom half of the inning with a single while Jordan McKenzie (Franklinton, LA) followed with a single. After Harrington was caught stealing for the first out, Christian Cameron (Brandon) singled while Ryland Hemphill (Florence) drew a walk to load the bases while Braydon Evans (Florence) was then brought in as a pinch runner. McClenty then delivered the walk off for the Wolves as he hit a sacrifice fly scoring McKenzie to give the Wolves a 6-5 win.

The Wolves totaled 13 hits as Tucker Jones led the way going 3-for-5 while Hagan Coumbe, Lucas Harrington, and Jordan McKenzie had two hits apiece with Christian Cameron, Sam Cook, and Sawyer Dunn adding one hit each. Coumbe led the team in RBIs with three while Berry, Harrington, and McClenty had one RBI each.

Dee Morgan pitched the best outing of his career in a Wolves uniform in the start and earned a no decision. Morgan pitched a career-high 7.1 innings allowing just one earned run on two hits, both by the same player, with two walks and matched his career-high in strikeouts with nine. Caleb Flynn (Laurel) pitched 1.1 innings of relief allowing four runs, all unearned, with one hit and one walk while Jayden Duncan (Foxworth) pitched 0.2 innings of scoreless relief with two hits and one walk. Lucas Harrington picked up the win in relief and improved to 1-0 on the season with 1.2 innings of scoreless relief allowing just one hit with three strikeouts.

GAME TWO

The Wolves got on the board with a single run in the bottom of the first as Hagan Coumbe hit a two-out double and then later scored on an RBI single to take the 1-0 lead. However, the Bobcats responded with two runs in the top of the second to take a 2-1 lead over the Wolves.

The Bobcats then scored one in the third and one in the fifth while holding the Wolves to just two combined baserunners from the second through fifth innings to hold the lead at 5-1. The Bobcats then added a solo run in the sixth making the score, 6-1. However, the Wolves responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half as Brentley Berry singled, Tucker Jones reached on an error, and Coumbe singled to load the bases with no outs. Later in the inning, Jordan McKenzie hit a sacrifice fly scoring Berry while Jones then scored on an RBI single by Lucas Harrington cutting the deficit down to 6-3.

The Bobcats then doubled their run total with six runs in the top of the seventh to increase their lead to 12-3. The Wolves then got a leadoff double from Braydon Evans followed by a walk to Isaac McClenty to put two runners on with no outs. Berry then reached on a fielder's choice as Evans was forced out while Coumbe later hit an RBI single scoring McClenty making the score, 12-4. The Wolves then popped out for the final out of the inning to secure the game two win for the Bobcats and split of the doubleheader.

The Wolves totaled eight hits as a team with Hagan Coumbe leading the way going 3-for-4 while Brentley Berry, Jordan McKenzie, Lucas Harrington, Sawyer Dunn, and Braydon Evans had one hit each. McKenzie led the team in RBIs with two while Coumbe and Harrington had one RBI each.

Coby Gollot (Ocean Springs) got the start and moved to 2-2 overall while pitching six innings and allowing six runs, five earned, on seven hits with three walks and 12 strikeouts. Andin Bolen (Lucedale) pitched 0.2 innings of relief allowing six runs, all unearned, on one hit with three walks and one strikeout while Judson Griffin (Brookhaven) pitched 0.1 innings of relief allowing two hits.

Co-Lin is now 14-16 overall, 2-4 in conference play and will return to action hosting Northeast Mississippi on Saturday, March 23. First pitch between the Tigers and the Wolves is set for 2 p.m., at Sullivan Field in Wesson.