Wildcat Baseball ends week 11-2
By Coach Harv Antle
Licking 14, Crocker 3
LICKING — The Licking Wildcats returned home Monday night to Deer Lick Park and defeated the Crocker Lions 14-3.
Elijah Ullom started and pitched three innings for the win. The game ended at the conclusion of five innings due to the run rule.
Ullom fanned four, walked one and surrendered just one hit. Carter Sullins worked the last two innings and was touched for three unearned runs on two hits.
Keyton Cook and Spencer Rogers keyed the Licking offense. Cook was three-for-four with two RBIs and Rogers went two-for-three with three RBIs.
Cole Wallace had two hits and two runs scored for the Wildcats. Silas Antle collected a pair of hits as did Rusty Buckner, and Keyton Rinne reached base four times and scored twice.
The Wildcats ran their winning streak to nine games and improved to 9-1 for the fall season.
In the JV game, Licking dropped a 10-7 decision to the Lions.
Kannon Buckner took the loss in relief for Licking. Buckner was the last of four Wildcat pitchers.
There were five lead changes in the seesaw contest. Kale Cook doubled and drove in three runs to pace the Licking offense.
Alex Buckner singled in a run, Garrett Gorman reached base three times, Derek Mendenhall was 1-for-1, while Logan Gorman and Carter Sullins each scored a pair of runs.
Licking 16, Newburg 0
LICKING — The Licking Wildcats won their tenth consecutive game with a 16-0 shutout of Newburg on Tuesday night at Deer Lick Park.
Logan Gorman was the Wildcat winner on the mound. The sophomore threw two scoreless frames and fanned six.
Cole Wallace pitched the final inning and picked up a strikeout. The game ended after three innings of play on the run rule.
Wallace reached base three times and scored three runs atop the Licking lineup. Keyton Cook doubled and drove in two runs and Silas Antle tripled, scored twice, and knocked in three runs.
Licking also received RBI doubles from Rusty Buckner and Elijah Ullom. Keyton Rinne drove in a pair of runs and Kaiden Wantland swatted a two-run double as part of a 14-run first inning.
The Wildcats improved to 10-1 with the win.
The JV ‘Cats made it a sweep on the evening with a 3-0 win in the nightcap.
Alex Buckner got the complete game win on the mound for Licking. In three innings, he allowed no runs on three hits and fanned five.
Buckner also doubled and scored in the contest. Garrett Gorman and Derek Mendenhall also scored for Licking.
Iberia 6, Licking 2
IBERIA — The Licking Wildcats saw their 10-game winning streak snapped on Thursday night with a 6-2 loss to Iberia at Hooper Field.
Five unearned runs in the first inning doomed the Wildcats. Three Licking errors put Iberia in front 5-1 at the end of one inning of play.
Missed scoring opportunities kept Licking from rallying throughout the evening. The Wildcats racked up nine hits but stranded 10 runners on base.
Rusty Buckner took the loss for Licking. The sophomore went three innings and gave six runs (one earned) on nine hits.
Austin Stephens’ relief effort kept the Wildcats within striking distance. In his three innings, Stephens allowed no runs on just one hit and no walks.
Cole Wallace was two-for-four with a double and a run scored to lead the limited offense for Licking. Rusty Buckner and Kannon Buckner each recorded two-hit nights, and Kaiden Wantland doubled and drove in a run.
Licking fell to 10-2 on the fall with the loss. Licking did manage a split on Thursday however with a 6-0 win in the JV game.
Roston Stockard, Brently Morris, and Garrett Gorman teamed up on the mound for the shutout. The trio allowed just two hits and fanned six over five innings.
Kannon Buckner and Lake Wade notched RBI singles for the winners. Carter Sullins, Gorman, Stockard, and Cole McCloy also contributed with base hits as the JV ‘Cats improved to 4-1 with the victory.
Licking 9, Belle 5
LICKING – Bouncing back from a tough loss against Iberia, the Licking Wildcats posted a 9-5 win over Belle on Friday night at home.
The Wildcats jumped to a 3-0 lead after three innings only to see Belle answer with two runs in the top of the fourth to pull within a run. When Licking answered with a run of its own in the bottom of the inning, Belle promptly tied the game 4-4 with two tallies in the fifth.
From that juncture, Licking pulled away and ran their record to 11-2 with the victory. The Wildcat offense managed just six hits but took advantage of six walks and four Belle errors.
Austin Stephens was three-for-four at the plate to pace offense for Licking. Malachi Antle, Cole Wallace and Kannon Buckner all recorded two runs-batted-in on the evening. Rusty Buckner went one-for-three with an RBI and Keyton Cook was 1-for-2 with two runs scored, while Keyton Rinne reached base three times and scored twice.
Cook picked up the win in relief of starter Carter Sullins. Sullins pitched into the fourth and gave two runs on five hits and fanned four.
Cook struck out four in three and one-third innings of work. He was charged with two runs on three hits.
JV Doubleheader
IBERIA – The Licking Wildcats JV team travelled to Iberia on Saturday and split a doubleheader with Iberia, losing the first game 3-1 and winning the second game 5-4.
In the first game, Licking managed just two hits, one each from Garrett Gorman and Logan Gorman. Garrett Gorman suffered the loss on the mound.
In the second contest, Licking scored four runs in the second inning to take an early lead. The JV ‘Cats added a run in the fourth and withstood a late Iberia rally to win 5-4.
Kale Cook was the winning pitcher for Licking. He worked three innings and allowed one run on two hits and struck out five.
Kannon Buckner earned the save as he recorded the final four outs. He fanned three and surrendered just one hit.
Offensively for Licking, Lake Wade was one-for-two as was Jordan Ritz. Brently Morris collected an RBI single while Landon Schaper and Peyton Goforth also knocked in a run.
The split of the doubleheader left Licking with a record of 5-2 for the fall.
