Heat fails to make Cabot starter Wilson wilt
CONWAY – Caleb Wilson survived Friday’s ovenlike temperatures at Bear Stadium by bringing some heat of his own.
Pitching on a day when the heat index climbed to as high as 108 degrees in the early afternoon, Cabot’s right-handed starter limited Arkadelphia to five hits through the first eight innings in a 10-5 victory in the opening round of the American Legion State Tournament.
Cabot broke the game open by scoring four runs with two outs in the sixth inning and led 10-1 with two outs in the ninth inning.
“Man, this is not for the faint of heart playing at 1 o’clock on a turf field,” Cabot Manager Casey Vaughan said. “But I thought my guys did great.”
Wilson lasted 82/ innings. 3 He was removed after giving up four consecutive hits in the ninth inning. Dylan Billingsley came in to get the final out.
“I was hitting the corners with my fastball,” said Wilson, who struck out five and
walked three. “I had good command of my fastball, and when I needed it, my curveball was working well, too.”
“I’m so proud of that kid,” Vaughan said of Wilson, who will be a senior at Cabot High this fall. “He’s been a kid this entire year who’s battled for us. He saved some of our pitching, so he helped us out. His curveball was great. He would get ahead with the fastball and then that curveball was devastating.”
Cabot banged out 13 hits against four Arkadelphia pitchers. Leadoff batter Blake McCutchen went 4 for 4 with 2 RBI and a triple. Jack Broyles went 2 for 4 with a sacrifice fly and 4 RBI. Wilson, Caleb Harpole and Mike Crumbly all had two hits.
Danny Spradlin and Alec Ruble each had two hits for Arkadelphia while Dalton Guthrie drove in two runs with a ninth-inning triple. was 2 for 4 with a double.
PARAGOULD 9, BENTON 7 (10 INNINGS)