Cards Rout Apaches

1-4A BASEBALL TEAMS SWEEP FIRST ROUND

FARMINGTON — Senior pitcher, Levi Strope, mowed down the Pottsville Apaches with three consecutive strikeouts in the fourth inning and Farmington prevailed, 13-3, in five innings with Strope taking the win.

Equally important was the Cardinals gaining a state baseball tournament berth. The Apaches represented the last hope for the 4-4A Conference but were not able to pull off a sneak attack during the 4A North Regional baseball tournament on May 6.

“First of all, this game is such a tough game to win. We have four great seniors leading us when we go and do things we need to do,” said Farmington baseball coach Jay Harper. “Levi Strope did a great job on the mound, Spencer Boudrey had three or four hits, Taylor Burba had three big hits and Josh Mueller had an RBI.”

“Tomorrow is tough, you either play back to back or play in a game later if you win. It’s one thing, it’s a difficult situation. It is what it is,” Harper said. “It couldn’t work out any better for us than it did tonight, winning in five innings. We didn’t have to use all of our pitchers.”

Strope was in a duel with Pottsville starter, Travis Cole, early on and for good measure struck him out swinging on a 2-2 pitch for the third out of the first inning after Cory Campbell drove in a run with a double into the left corner.

Cole, who is ambidextrous, was taught to switch hit by his father when he was 7 years old and had been batting left-handed most of the year but went right-handed against Strope. Strope got him in trouble right away with a called strike, then a swing and a miss for strike two.

Boudrey evened the score at 1-all with a solo home run in the bottom half of the inning. Strope was on in the second and needed only 11 throws to polish off the Apaches in order with a fly out, followed by back to back batters going down swinging.

Farmington couldn’t score

in

their half of the inning and watched Pottsville go in front, 3-1, in the third before Strope brought the rally to a halt with strikeout of Cory McKowen.

Strope recorded another strikeout in the top of the fifth and retired the Apaches in order. Farmington finally got their bats going in the bottom of the inning, explod- ing for 11 runs to end the game.

Jacob Thompson walked. Then Josh Mueller hit into what looked like a doubleplay ball but it was mishandled at second. Strope was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out and Spencer Boudrey hammered out a triple energizing the hometown Farmington crowd.

Burba belted a triple bringing Boudrey home and setting up Adam Ness for an RBI single. Campbell came in to pitch for the Apaches but he couldn’t stop the tide.

Cade Black struck out but the runner advanced into scoring position and was plated by Hayden Sutton’s single up the middle. Two batters later, Thompson stroked a two RBI double into deep center field and Mueller added an RBI single.

Strope belted the third triple of the game for Farmington to make the score 12-3 and after one ball the Pottsville catcher was called for bumping Boudrey, who was sent to first base. With Burba up, the game-ending run scored on an error with Farmington winning, 13-3.

The victory marked a firstround baseball sweep by the 1-4A Conference with all four 4-4A teams eliminated.

MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER Farmington softball coaches Randy Osnes and Steve Morgan exchange greetings with Waldron players after a 4A North Regional game on May 6. Farmington defeated Waldron 6-3 but lost to Booneville 7-3 and Mena 8-7 to place fourth in the tournament they...