Columbia Academy increased its winning streak to four games Monday night, getting the best of cross-town West Marion on the road 9-4 to end a three-game losing streak to the Trojans.
CA’s Tate Duncan and Slade Wilks combined to throw a no-hitter despite eight walks, two hit batters and five errors by the Cougar defense. Duncan struck out nine over four innings while surrendering two unearned runs on five walks. Wilks picked up the win striking out three and allowing two unearned runs over three innings in relief.
Trojans head coach Derrick Jerkins said Duncan and Wilks did a good job challenging West Marion’s hitters.
The Cougars struck first with Robert Johnson singling with runners on first and second in the top of the second inning, scoring a second run as Johnson took off for second base on the initial throw to the plate. Then Slade Wilks, who struck out to start the game, got a hold of a 3-2 fastball and muscled it well over the right-center field fence for a two-run homer, his fifth of the year, to make it 4-0.
West Marion got on the board in the bottom of the third thanks to some scrappy at-bats and putting pressure on CA freshman catcher Holdyn Sandifer. Gabe Miller and Josh Boone drew back-to-back walks then Miller scored on a double steal as Sandifer’s throw to third sailed into left field. A few pitches later, Boone stole third and the throw once again went into left field, allowing West Marion’s leadoff man to score to cut the deficit to 4-2.
CA head coach Keith Stanley said for the position Sandifer has been in as a freshman, he believes the catcher has done extremely well.
“I don’t know many freshman catchers in the state that you can just throw behind the plate in a varsity high school season and play like he has. He’s made some errors, yes, but considering he’s 15 years old catching 86 (mph) every night for my standards he’s held up his own,” the first-year coach explained. “He’s not let anything get to his head, and the kid has real bright future ahead of him.”
With Wilks on the mound in relief in the bottom of the fifth, the Trojans loaded the bases with one out with a walk, hit batter and catcher’s interference. The Cougars tried to turn two to get out of the inning on a ground ball to shortstop off the bat of Mason Parrett, but Parrett slid head first into first base to beat the throw, allowing two runs to score to tie the game 4-4. West Marion loaded the bases again with two more walks, but Wilks got Blakeney out on a soft liner.
CA got the lead back almost immediately with Tate Duncan leading off the sixth with a double, advancing to third on a balk and scoring on an Ethan Stringer single through the right side of West Marion’s drawn-in infield to make it 5-4. The Cougars added to the lead with four runs in the seventh to run away with the road victory.
Duncan also led the CA offense with a perfect 3-for-3 outing with 2 RBI at the plate. Stringer and Johnson both had a pair of hits and 2 RBI, while Wilks drove in two on his long ball.
Stanley said it’s always big to get a win against an in-county school, especially considering how West Marion has owned CA in recent years.
“Coach Jerkins is a heck of a ball coach over there, and I have the utmost respect for him and how he runs that program. It’s always fun for the kids but for the coaches, too,” he said. “Me and coach Jerkins go back, and me and coach (Robert) Marzoni have also coached together. The coaches have past history, and the players have past history. It’s always fun when we get to play them, but it’s also sweeter when you get a win.”
West Marion won both games against CA last year and in their lone showdown in 2018. The Cougars had last beat the Trojans during their state championship season in 2017.
Pictured Above: CA's Tate Duncan combined with Slade Wilks to throw a no-hitter against West Marion Monday. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
