riday night at Edwards Jones Field was a busy one for the McCracken County Mustangs, as they hosted a doubleheader against Edwardsville, Illinois, and Carlisle County. After dropping a tough 8-5 decision to the Tigers earlier in the evening, the Mustangs would bounce back in the nightcap, tossing a combined no-hitter to take down the Comets, 7-1.
“I liked the way we came out against Carlisle, bounced back and competed. It was a long week, we had really stretched our guys out, threw two guys in this one and they combined for a no-hitter,” McCracken County head coach Zach Hobbs said following the win. “Carlisle County’s a great baseball team, but we came out, put pressure on them and were able to get some timely hits...We had a tough loss earlier in the day, I thought we played well but just had a bad inning. It’s tough to win the back end of a doubleheader after losing the first one, but our guys really battled, and I’m proud of the effort.
After McCracken starter Will Fox retired the Comets in order to kick things off, the Mustangs would get on the board early to cap off the first inning. With one away, four straight hits, including an RBI double from Kendrick Dunning, would bring across three runs for the early advantage.
While sharp defending from the Comets kept the score unchanged through two, the Mustang bats would get back to work in the back half of the third. After Dunning led off the inning with his second double of the night, an error and wild pitch would plate another two runs for the hosts, as they led 5-0 through three.
“Offensively, we came out really well, I liked the approach we took,” Hobbs said, on the Mustangs’ offense. “We’re still trying to find our lineup, and I think we’re getting there. We’re getting plenty of hits over the last few games; we faced Dyersberg’s best guy for eight hits, seven against Edwardsville, now 10 here. We’re making the right adjustments at the plate, and finding out where we need to go with our lineup.”
While the Mustangs built their lead, Fox would keep the Comets off the scoreboard, not allowing a single hit through four innings of work. However, the right-hander would find himself in some trouble come the top of the fifth, walking three straight batters to bring his total on the night to six. Fox’s night would come to an end there, finishing his night hitless with eight strikeouts in 4.1 innings of work. Owen Aldridge would take over to end the inning, with on run coming in for the Comets on a passed ball, cutting the lead to 5-1 through four and a half.
The one run would be all the Comets could muster on the night, though, as Aldridge would close the door in the sixth and seventh. After the Mustangs would tack on two in the bottom of the fifth, two clean innings from the sophomore would seal up the combined no-hitter, and a 7-1 victory for the Mustangs.
“That’s Owen’s first varsity outing this year, and I thought he did a great job. Came out, threw strikes, and executed well on his off-speed stuff,” Hobbs continued, looking at the pitching performance. “Fox, he wasn’t as sharp as we know he can be, walking six guys, but he’s a great ballplayer and still pitched well enough to win the game.”
Having played seven games in six days, the Mustangs are now looking at a six-day layoff, with their next scheduled game coming on Thursday, at home against Clarksville, Tennessee.
“It’s a good chance to rest up, and get healthy before we get back after it,” Hobbs concluded. “I’ll give them Saturday off, spend Easter Sunday with family, then it’s back to work on a Monday, getting a couple of good practices in before Clarksville.”
MCCRACKEN COUNTY 7, CARLISLE COUNTY 1
CCHS 0 0 0 1 0 0 — 1 0 1
MCHS 3 0 2 0 2 0 X — 7 10 0
WP: W. Fox; LP: K. Perex
2B: MCHS — K. Dunning 2, J. English
TB: MCHS — K. Dunning 4, G. Reeves 2, J. English 2, B. Thompson 1, C. Kern 1, L. Gagnon 1, L. Grace 1, W. Fox 1
SB: MCHS — B. Thompson, G. Dugan, K. Mahan, L. Grace
E: CCHS — M. Fourshee
RECORDS: McCracken County (14-4); Carlisle County (8-6)