SIX-RUN SECOND IS MAVERICKS’ UNDOING

Southside coach Dale Harpenau has coached long enough to know six runs in one inning count the same as if someone’s clobbered six home runs and scored on six passed balls. North Little Rock didn’t hit the ball hard Monday. But they sure knew where to hit where the Mavericks’ weren’t standing. The Charging Wildcats scored six runs in a crazy second inning that propelled North Little Rock to a 10-3 win over the 0-3 Mavericks at Forsgren Field. “It’s frustrating,” Harpenau said. “That’s three times we’ve done that where we give up a crooked number. We’ve given up six (runs) three times in (three) conference games. It’s hard to overcome that offensively.” Mavericks starter Parker Wright got through a quick first inning before a series of one-out singles began to be his undoing in the second. Jelani Willis, the Rockets’ No. 9 hitter, started the scoring with an RBI single to right. Weston Mcghee drew a bases loaded walk to make it 2-0, and Julian Gonzalez sneaked one through for a 3-0 advantage. Grant Shahan’s two-run single to left extended the lead to 5-0, knocking Parker (1-3) out of the game. The Mavericks’ right-hander needed 46 pitches to retire just four batters. Carson Doss worked four innings, allowing three earned runs and eight hits while striking out three. Mac Moody, who added to the Mavericks’ rough night by dropping a foul pop up, got the final five outs, through there was a bizarre infield single when Brock Thibodeaux tripped over the mound hustling after a pop up, and another runner reached following a dropped third strike. Southside (6-8, 0-3) travels to Bryant on Friday. Down 7-0 in the fourth, the Mavericks’ lower portion of the batting order began to peck away. Singles by Colton McBride, Braiden Partin and J.T. Jones cut the NLR deficit to 7-1. Matt Schilling’s sacrifice fly made it 7-2, and after Thibodeaux singled to load the bases, Southside appeared to be set up with Moody and Jake Melton, the No. 3 and No. 4 hitters in the order, respectively. But Moody hit a sacrifice fly to right and winning pitcher Tucker Sparks got the dangerous Melton to bite on a curveball for the final out. Tucker struck out four, scattered 10 hits, and didn’t walk anyone. “We had already put up a crooked No. 3, but we had an opportunity to get a couple more, or maybe five or six and it’s a whole different ballgame,” Harpenau said. “Things are different when it’s a two-run game, as opposed to a four or five-run game.”

SIX-RUN SECOND IS MAVERICKS’ UNDOING

KEVIN TAYLOR

Times Record | 3/27/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Jamie Mitchell