The Drew Central Pirates and Lady Pirates 2022 baseball and softball seasons ended in their first-round matchups in the 3A Region 4 Regional Tournament.
Facing the Ashdown Panthers in the opening round of the tournament on Friday, May 6, the Drew Central Pirates were not able to get their offense going as the Panthers ended the Pirates season with a 10-0 victory.
Nate Cooper led off the contest for the Pirates with a single to center field, but the Panthers would get the next three batters out to end the inning.
Ashdown would take the lead in the bottom of the first scoring four runs to take a 4-0 lead.
Will Watson led off the second inning with a single and after the first out of the inning, the Panthers would intentionally walk Mathew Barnard. Jacob Jones would hit into a double play to end the inning.
Drew Burton would walk the Ashdown leadoff batter, but the runner would be thrown out by Burton to second baseman Mathew Barnard on a steal followed by two strikeouts to end the inning.
Drew Central loaded the bases in the top of the third inning but was not able to get any runs in the inning.
Ashdown added three runs in the bottom of the inning to extend the lead to 7-0 and added another run in the bottom of the fourth inning for an 8-0 lead.
Drew Central loaded the bases once again in the top of the fifth inning, but all three runners would be stranded on the base paths after Ashdown recorded the third out.
Ashdown was able to end the contest in the bottom of the fifth inning after connecting on a two-run walk-off homerun to give the Panthers a 10-0 win.
For the Lady Pirates, their contest did not fare much better than the Pirates.
Also having to face the Ashdown Lady Panthers who entered the tournament as the number one seed from the 7-3A with Drew Central being the eighth seed from the 8-3A.
The Lady Pirates opened the contest with a double by Gracie Connard but Connard would be stranded on base after the next three Lady Pirate batters struck out to end the inning.
Connard would strike out the first two Ashdown batters before allowing a single but would get the next batter to ground out to end the inning.
Ashdown would take the lead in the contest in the bottom of the second inning after two singles with the runners scoring on errors and passed balls for a 2-0 lead.
Drew Central’s second hit of the contest came in the top of the third inning after a fly out by Caden Lane, Kennedee Love would connect for a single to left field.
Connard would hit into a double play to end the inning.
Ashdown would extend the lead in the bottom of the third inning after scoring four runs to increase the lead to 6-0.
Ashdown scored the final runs of the contest in the bottom of the fourth inning after loading the bases, a walk would score a run for a 7-0 lead and in the next at bat the Lady Panthers would get an inside the park grand slam home run to extend the lead to 11-0.
The Lady Panthers would get the Lady Pirates out in order in the top of the fifth inning for the win.
