Despite being down to nine players due to outfielder Kinley Morrison suffering a severe head injury in the third inning, the Yates Center Wildcats held on in the finale to split a doubleheader against Neodesha Monday night.
The Neodesha Blue Streaks took the opener with a result more reminiscent of the gridiron than the diamond as Yates Center fell 21-19.
“We were aggressive and had a better mentality at the plate,” Yates Center coach Alexa Ellis said.
Yates High School pitcher Cayten Cummings throws a strike during the second game of Monday’s doubleheader against Neodesha.
With four runs in the opening frame, then eight more in the second inning, the Wildcats and Blue Streaks were in a dogfight. A six-run Blue Streak fourth inning seemed the difference-maker as Yates Center played catch-up from there but to no avail.
Senior pitcher Avery Eakin and sophomore Cayten Cummings combined for 11 strikeouts over seven innings. Eakin had seven strikeouts over 4 ⅓ innings. At the plate, Eakin had a team-leading four RBIs, followed by Morrison and senior shortstop Jaycie Randall with two each.
“I was having a hard time getting them across the plate,” Eakin said. “We had a few calls that could have been different, but that’s nothing I can control.”
In the second game, the Wildcats beat Neodesha 16-1. Neodesha opened the game with a lead-off homer by sophomore shortstop Sydney Church. A Cummings homerun in the Wildcats’ opening frame seemed not only a proper response but a prelude to a one-way drubbing. The Wildcats held fast, capitalizing on Neodesha’s errors to quickly distance themselves.
“I felt really good. I felt like I had a good defense to back me up and put it together. Just starting off with a homer, kept us going,” Cummings said.
Cummings, Eakin and junior shortstop Maddison Hall gave Yates Center a 6-1 advantage with a trio of nearly consecutive RBIs. Cummings limited Neodesha to just one run and three hits while tallying three strikeouts over 2 2/3 innings.
Cummings also had a team-leading three RBIs, followed by Eakin, Randall and freshman Keyleigh Clines, who subbed in for Morrison, with two each. The Wildcats return to the diamond when they head on the road to St. Paul Thursday.
Yates Center senior Avery Eakin hauls in a pop fly Monday night.
“Our dugout energy was great, too. I told them how proud I am,” Ellis said. “We only have nine players right now, so we’ve done a great job of backing each other up and being a good teammate. It’s really important and team chemistry will take us a long way. We’re tiny but mighty.”
First pitches for Thursday’s doubleheader are 4:30 and 6 p.m.
