Russellville scored the first run of the game but Logan County scored the last 11 as Coach Ethan Meguiar’s Cougars continued their march to the top seed in the 13th District Baseball Tournament Tuesday.
As the visiting team, the Panthers batted first, and leadoff hitter Wesley Stratton stroked Hunter Britt’s fourth pitch for a single. Colby Nichols sacrificed him over. Desmon Quarles fouled off a 2-2 pitch and then doubled in Stratton for the Panthers’ lone run in the 11-1 loss.
Those were two of only three hits Britt allowed in five innings. Nick Wooden pitched the sixth inning and gave up a hit and no walks.
The third Panther hit came in the third inning when Coach Blake Crabtree’s mounted a threat. With two outs, Nichols walked, Jacob Proctor singled, and Quarles walked. But Nichols was out at the plate when starting pitcher Evan Humphrey hit into a fielder’s choice.
In the sixth, Quarles led off with a single, his second hit. Humphrey reached on an error. But Wooden struck out T.K. Hampton and then got George Ortiz to hit into a game-ending double play.
Not to be outdone by Stratton, Matt Harper scored as the Cougars’ leadoff hitter. He singled, stole second and scored on Britt’s hit.
The Cougars then put together two straight four-run innings. In the second, Bradley Taylor walked, Luke Woodall reached on an error, Jackson Campbell and Tucker Baldwin each singled, and with an out, Michael Riley and Caleb Bruner singled.
In the third, Woodall singled among walks drawn by Taylor, Campbell, Baldwin and Harper before Riley singled. In the fifth, Riley and Bruner singled, Britt walked, producing a run.
Campbell doubled with two outs in the sixth, Baldwin walked, Harper was hit by a pitch, and Riley brought in courtesy runner Jose Arostegui with the run that made the game-shortening margin 10 runs.
Riley had three hits and a walk. Bruner and Campbell each had two hits. Campbell also walked and scored two runs with Arostegui’s run resulting from Campbell’s reaching. Bruner had 3 RBIS with Baldwin and Riley adding two each.
Humphrey, Proctor, Nichols and Hampton all pitched for the Panthers. Twenty of the 27 pitches Nichols threw were strokes. He didn’t give up an earned run.
Forty-three of Britt’s 68 pitches were strikes while Wooden went 10 of 15.
The Cougars improved their record to 15-8 and 5-0 in the district. Russellville’s record fell to 3-16, but then on Wednesday the Panthers got their first district win, beating Todd Central 7-6.