The Columbia Wildcats (1-1) began their regular season last week and had the poor fortune of running into an ace in the opener.
St. Martin junior righty Leif Moore stymied the Wildcats bats Feb. 20 at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, holding Columbia to four hits and no walks while striking out 10 in six scoreless innings in the 8-0 neutral-site showdown.
“We ran into a good arm,” Columbia head coach Greg Owen said. “I felt like we would’ve competed better after seeing that same velocity on Saturday and looking pretty good against it. He was about 87 (miles per hour) on both sides of the plate, and we just didn’t get the bats off of our shoulders.”
Harrison Miller and Eli Johnson each had a double for the Wildcats, while Jace Smith got the nod on the mound and allowed five runs, four earned, in two innings of work.
Columbia’s bats came back to life at home Friday night, however, leading the Wildcats to a 6-2 win over Natchez.
Jonathan Turnage, who went 2-for-2, drove in two runs on a double in the first, and Landon Sanders added a two-run homer later in the game. Aiden Singley had two singles, while Cole Pearson and Trey Hobgood each drove in a run.
“Scoring early was important because we knew the weather was coming in. It was one of those deals where we had to go out and make a statement early,” Owen said. “Our guys responded and did that. We played with good intensity for the 4 ½ innings we played.”
Pearson shut down the Natchez lineup on the bump, allowing just two hits and one unearned run while striking out six in four innings. Owen likes the mindset his pitchers have taken with them to the mound.
“I think having more confidence in what each guy brings to the table, understanding our strengths and going to battle with what we got has been our focus lately (on the mound),” he said. “Our guys responded well with that.”
The Wildcats will head to Monroe, La., Thursday to take on three out-of-state squads in the Monroe Tournament. They will play University Lab (Baton Rouge) at Ouchita High School Thursday night at 7, then take on Vilonia (Arkansas) and Baptist Prep (Little Rock) Friday at the Sterlington Sports Complex at 3 and 5:30.
Owen said trips for tournaments out of state are good for the team gaining a sense of unity.
“We’re always trying to improve our team chemistry and you can do that on trips,” he said. “We’re going to face some competition we don’t typically get to see. You get to measure up with how you do with other states, and that’s always something neat for the kids. That’s something they look forward to every year.”
Pictured Above: Jonathan Turnage lines a two-run double against Natchez. | Photo by Charlie Smith
