EUREKA — Yates Center High’s Wildcats came up just short in a spirited comeback Thursday at Eureka.
The Wildcats left the bases loaded when the final out was recorded in a 9-7 loss at Eureka.
But Yates Center didn’t take long to rebound, exploding for 10 runs in the top of the first of Game 2, leading to a 25-12 victory.
The split puts Yates Center at 5-15 with a Monday doubleheader at Uniontown to wrap up the regular season.
Jacob Meigs was a primary catalyst in the victory, driving in five runs, including a pair of RBI singles in the 10-run outburst to open the contest. He drove in another run in the top of the third with a ground-out and another run with an RBI single in the top of the fourth. The fifth run came after his grounder was misplayed for an error as part of a six-run seventh.
Meigs had three of Yates Center’s 14 hits. Kaiden Rutherford added a double and two singles. William steakhouse had a single and a double as well. Garrett Brittain singled twice. Evan McVey and Blake Morrison chipped in with a single apiece.
Meigs also shined in his three innings of relief work, allowing no earned runs and two hits while striking out two. McVey got the start, pitching the first four innings, striking out five and allowing eight hits.
WILLIAM Stackhouse got Yates off on the right foot in the opener, coming back from a 1-2 count to earn a leadoff walk. He moved to second on a passed ball and scored on McVey’s single. Meigs added an RBI grounder two batters later for a 2-0 lead.
But Eureka sent seven batters to the plate before Yates Center recorded the first out in the bottom of the first. By the time the inning ended, Yates Center trailed, 5-2.
Morrison scored on a passed ball in the second inning, a dropped third strike allowed Meigs to score in the third and William Stackhouse scampered home on a passed ball in the top of the fourth.
The Wildcats loaded the bases with nobody out in the sixth. An error brought home Kage Beck, but three straight pop-ups to the infield ended the threat.
Three straight errors to open the seventh opened the door for Yates Center;’s final rally. The Wildcats loaded the bases with nobody out, and Morrison scored on a passed ball.
But a strikeout with runners on second and third provided the second out. And a pop-up with the bases loaded ended the game.
McVey singled twice and Keagan Tadlock had a single.
Burtherford got the start, picking four innings of four-hit ball with eight strikeouts. Rutherford pitched four innings, allowing four hits and striking out eight. Meigs pitched two hitless innings.
