CHEROKEE – Despite leading in the late innings of both games here Monday, the Yates Center Wildcats failed to close the door in either contest, allowing the Lancers from Southeast High School to rally and claim a pair of closely-contested Three Rivers League matchups.
Yates Center led 8-1 in the sixth inning of the opener, only to see the Lancers bounce back to win 11-10. In the nightcap, the Wildcats held a 5-4 advantage with two innings to play, but Southeast again rallied to win 7-5.
The Wildcats saw their season record dip to 4-10, and will now come home to host a doubleheader against Erie on Monday, April 22.
Those were two hard losses to swallow,” said YCHS head coach Jarrod McVey. “But there is no denying that we continue to show great signs of improvement as a team. I know the kids will continue to work hard to finish the season stronger than we started it.”
Yates Center appeared well on its way to a victory in game one, leading 5-0 after three and 8-1 entering the bottom of the sixth. But Southeast exploded for an eight-run inning to grab a 9-8 lead.
The Wildcats showed some mettle, responding with two runs in the top the seventh to regain the lead, but the Lancers plated two runs of their own in the bottom of the frame to complete the dramatic comeback.
Jacob Meigs had two RBI for Yates Center, while Evan McVey, Kaiden Rutherford, Tristan Ballin and Kage Beck also drove in runs. Rutherford scored three times and Ballin twice.
Pitchers from both teams had trouble finding the plate, as four Yates Center hurlers walked a total of 18 batters while five moundsmen from Southeast issued 13 free passes. The Lancers won despite collecting only two hits.
In the nightcap, YCHS fell behind 3-1, then clawed back to take a 5-4 advantage until Southeast plated three runs in the bottom of the sixth to pull out the 7-5 victory.
William Stackhouse had two hits and two RBI in a losing cause, while McVey, Rutherford and Meigs also rapped safeties for the Wildcats. Warner pounded out three hits, including a double and triple, finishing with four RBI to pace the Lancer attack.
“We definitely let a couple of games slip away from us at Southeast – but now we simply get back to work to prepare for Erie next Monday,” McVey said.