Wildcats beat Augusta and Calvary Christian

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    Pendleton County baseball went 2-1 over the past week improving their overall record on the season to 11-12 overall. All three of their games over the past week were against 10th Region opponents.
    The Wildcats kicked off last week with a 10-8 win against Augusta. It was a back and forth game on senior night. Sophomore Connor Neltner started on the mound. He threw five innings, gave up four earned runs and struck out six batters. Senior Tanner Keeton came on in relief for an inning giving up an earned run and walking two. Senior Alex Smith finished off the game pitching an inning giving up two earned runs and striking out two.
    At the plate, the Wildcats were able to keep their distance from Augusta on the scoreboard. The Wildcats amassed 10 runs on 10 team hits. Keeton led the team offensively going 2-2 with two hits, two RBIs, a walk, and a run. Besides Keeton, senior Josh Brownfield, senior Joey Ball, and Neltner all had two-hit games. Senior Andrew Jordan, junior Brice Redden, sophomore Ethan Verst, Ball, and Neltner all had a single RBI.
    The next game the Wildcats traveled north to Alexandria to face the Fighting Camels of Campbell County. The game remained tight through four innings. In the 5th and 6th innings, the Camels scored a combined eight runs to put the game out of reach.
    Verst pitched five innings giving up six hits and two earned runs while striking out seven batters. Redden came on in relief walking five batters and giving up two earned runs.
    “Unfortunately we lost the free-bee battle that game,” said Head Coach Colin Duffie. “We gave up too many free bases and they capitalized. Verst pitched well for us. We get another chance with them coming up so we have some things to correct.”
    Offensively the Wildcats collected four total hits. Freshman Austin Kirsch, Neltner, Verst and Keeton all had a hit. The opposing pitcher, Calvin Bertram, pitched well surrendering no runs, four hits, and striking out eight batters.
    The Wildcats rounded out the week with a fantastic victory against an upstart Calvary Christian team defeating them 10-3 at home.
    Ball earned the win on the mound by going the distance. Even though he gave up seven hits, he surrendered only an earned run. He also struck out batters while walking only two. Ball was aided in being able to go the distance by Brownfield’s stellar defensive play in centerfield. Besides snagging line drives the entire evening, Brownfield turned a double play from centerfield and threw out a base runner attempting to leg out a double.
    On offense, Verst had a 2-hit game while knocking in two RBIs. Smith, Ball, and Brownfield all collected a hit. Smith and Brownfield both knocked in two RBIs. Calvary Christian aided the Wildcats offensively by giving up a staggering 14 walks.
    “Heading into districts on a high note can greatly improve our chances of winning,” said Josh Brownfield. “With all of us playing together and confident, we are a hard team to beat.”
    The Wildcats face Bracken County at home. The Wildcats lost twice to the Polar Bears earlier in the season. First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. On May 20, the Wildcats travel to Covington to play Holmes at 5:30 p.m.
    “We have a chance to finish at .500 or better to close out the season,” said Duffie. “It would be a huge accomplishment for the players and the program. We’re starting to find ourselves.”