HS BB/SB: Yates Center
The Yates Center baseball team got its first wins of the year on Thursday when the Wildcats traveled to Northeast-Arma while the Lady Cats softball team split with the Lady Vikings.
The baseball boys move to 2-0 this season while the Lady Cats fall to 3-1.
The Wildcats took game one 13-3 and started things off with a three-run top of the first. Arma responded with a run in the bottom of the inning but three innings later, the Wildcats put up another three runs to take a 6-1 lead.
The Vikings scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth to cut Yates Centers lead to three but the Wildcats closed things down in the next inning, scoring seven in the top of the fifth and shutting Arma down in the bottom of the inning to secure the win.
Sophomore starter Caden Graham went the full five innings, allowing three runs on three hits with eight strikeouts.
The Wildcats had three errors.
Dalton Brittain led the way offensively for the Wildcats, racking up four runs on three hits while playing first base. In addition to his pitching duties, Graham chipped in three hits and a run and catcher Braydon Gaulding scored three runs on two hits and a walk.
The second game was much closer with Arma jumping out to a two-run bottom-of-the-first inning.
The Vikings held that lead until the top of the third when Yates Center rattled off four runs to take a 4-2 lead.
Arma hit its way back in, scoring a run in the bottom of the third and then two more in the bottom of fifth.
Yates Center trailed 5-4 in the top of the sixth when the Wildcats scored two runs on an error and then another on a single to take a 7-5 lead. Yates Center held out for the final two innings to get the win.
Gaulding earned the win, allowing two runs (both unearned) on two hits while recording three strikeouts. The Wildcats had four errors in the game.
Asher Sievers was one of two Wildcats batters to have a multi-hit game, recording two hits and three RBIs while Devon Hathaway drove in two on one hit.
Meanwhile on the other diamond, the Lady Cats were coming fresh off an incredibly dominant performance versus Altoona-Midway.
Yates Center ran into some more struggles on Thursday, They committed double-digits errors in both games and were not nearly as prolific offensively, losing game one 9-8 before getting a 4-1 win in game two.
