With 10 days still remaining in April, the Logan County Cougars continued their remarkably successful 2013 baseball season Saturday by winning a pair of games for their 15th and 16th victories. Both games ended on the 10-run mercy rule. Six of the wins have been by 10 or more runs. Another four have been shutouts.
No other 4th Region team has more than 14 wins. In fact, only three others have won double figure games. At 16-5, Coach Ethan Meguiar’s team also has the best winning percentage in the region. Only Glasgow has as many wins against 4th Region teams (8) as do the Cougars, but Logan is 8-2 in the region and Coach Sam Royse’s Scotties are 8-4 in the league.
Saturday, the Cougars began with a 13-3 decision against visiting Butler County. Joe Holliday pitched the win with relief help from Lucas Dean. Holliday gave up 2 runs on 4 hits and 5 walks while striking out 5. Dean worked an inning, giving up a run on a hit and a walk with a strikeout.
Dustin Cartas and Gage Hales both doubled. Cartas had two more hits and Hales one more. Cartas drove in 4 runs and Hales 2. Matt Harper and Ryan Bruner also had two hits with Caleb Bruner, Ian Woodall, Hunter Britt and Jacob Wood also adding a hit. Daniel Beaty drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Bruner, Basham and Wood each scored a pair of runs. Bruner was hit by two pitches and Wood by another. Tucker Baldwin scored as a courtesy runner.
Sophomores Connor Reed and Hunter Wilson were at the bottom of the batting order, but they each got a pair of the Bears’ five hits. The other was by number six hitter Caleb Hunt. Senior Keston Flener took the loss on the mound for Coach Kevin Winn’s visitors.
Basham pitched a 2-hitter again Caverna in a 12-2 win in the second game. He didn’t walk anybody and struck out 6 in 4 innings. Cartas not only doubled, singled and drove in 3 runs, but he also pitched a scoreless final inning in which he didn’t allow a Colonel to reach base.
In addition to Cartas’ 2 hits, Hales, Bruner, Harper, Basham, Baldwin, Wood and Holliday all had hits. Wood and Cartas each drove in 3 runs. Baldwin, Wood and Hales each scored 2 runs. Bruner, Cartas, Beaty, Holliday, Michael Riley and Luke Woodall added a run each. Harper walked twice with Beaty, Baldwin, Wood and Luke Woodall getting a free pass each.
Ryan Neely had half of the Colonels’ hits with Nelix Crain and Chris Harper picking up the other two. Jordan Slagle suffered the loss with Neely relieving. Neither Basham nor Cartas issued a walk.
The Cougars will entertain Franklin-Simpson Tuesday in a battle of 3-0 district teams. Coach Craig Delk’s Wildcats have the third most wins in the region with a 12-8 record.