Wildcats baseball splits doubleheader on road

The Enterprise Wildcats (1-1) opened up the 2020 baseball season on the road against Smiths Station and Harris County in doubleheader action on Saturday, Feb. 15.

First up, Enterprise dropped the opener to Smiths Station 7-6 before bouncing back to pick up a 10-7 win over Harris County later in the day.

Against Smiths Station, Enterprise took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning when Colin Marsh scored on a wild pitch.

Smiths Station tied the score 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning only for Enterprise to explode with four runs in the top of the fifth.

Matthew Hutson scored on another wild pitch to start off the fifth inning explosion and then Drew Williams drove in Dylan Dalrymple for another run on a fly ball single into center field.

Finally, Hunter Sumrall drove in both Parker Sessions and Logan McCarthy with a line drive single into left field to give Enterprise a 5-1 lead.

Smiths Station answered with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to cut the lead to 5-4.

Enterprise answered as Sessions scored again on an error to extend the Wildcat lead to 6-4.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, however, Smiths Station stole home to cut the lead to 6-5 and then tied the score 6-6 on a sacrifice fly.

With the bases loaded and facing two outs and a full count, Smiths Station earned the winning run on a passed ball error.

Enterprise went 4-of-26 from the plate all game and also earned five walks. Williams, Sumrall, Marsh and Cole Hooper each earned hits, while Sumrall had two RBIs and Sessions scored two runs.

McCain Sieving pitched five and 2/3 innings and struck out four batters, while giving up three hits and two runs. Marsh also pitched 2/3 of an inning and gave up one hit with three runs, while Lane Danford gave up two hits and two runs in 1/3 innings pitched.

After that frustrating finish, Enterprise bounced back against Harris County in the next matchup.

Enterprise went into the top of the third inning trailing 1-0 but earned fours runs to take the 4-1 lead.

Sessions started off the scoring flurry with a line drive double that drove McCarthy home followed by Sessions and Williams both scoring on a wild pitch. Finally, Connor Couch scored on a passed ball error.

Harris County came back with three runs of its own in the bottom of the third to tie the game up 4-4 and then took a 6-4 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning with two more runs.

In the top of the sixth, Enterprise knotted the score at 6-6 when Hooper stole home and then Dalrymple drove Jackson Lessman home on a bunt. McCarthy also stole home to give Enterprise a 7-6 lead.

Harris County tied the score 7-7 in the bottom of the sixth inning and then Enterprise answered again in the top of the seventh.

Garrett Barefoot scored on a passed ball error to give Enterprise an 8-7 lead and then Dalrymple drove home Hooper on a ground out to extend the lead to 9-7. Finally, a Couch walk with the bases loaded drove Lessman home to put Enterprise ahead 10-7.

In the bottom of the seventh inning pitcher Logan Fleming walked his first batter but then struck out back-to-back batters and the fourth batter lined out in center field as the Wildcats secured their first win of the 2020 season and first win of new head coach Matt Whitton’s EHS career.

Williams led Enterprise at the plate, going 2-of-3 with a run. Dalrymple earned two RBIs. McCarthy, Hooper and Lessman scored two runs each.

Fleming picked up the win on the mound as he struck out five batters and gave up just two hits and one run in three innings pitched. Trey Cavanaugh struck out four batters, while giving up seven hits and six runs.