Wolves Bury Bearcats 11-3 In Regional

CUMMINGS LEADS LINCOLN ON MOUND

FARMINGTON — In their first season playing at the 4A level, the Lincoln Wolves ( 15-5) crashed the state playoff, big dance after defeating the Booneville Bearcats 11-3 in the opening round of the 4A North regional tournament on May 6,

“This time of year it’s all about surviving and moving on, and that’s what our team did today,” Wolves coach Brad Harris said after his squad punched their ticket to the state tourney with the win.

Lincoln, the No. 3 seed from the 4A-1 conference, struggled with lethargic bats in the first couple of frames, falling behind the Bearcats, the No. 2 seed from the 4A-4 conference, 1-0. In the third frame, Lincoln’s offense started to awaken, starting with Drew Harris, who ripped an RBI single into left field, scoring Cord McCaslin and tying the contest at 1-1.

Colton Barnum crossed the plate on a wild pitch in the fourth inning after reaching on a bunt single earlier in the stanza, while Harris and Payton Hulse were plated when Dakota Riggin’s line drive to right field was dropped, helping Lincoln open a 4-1 advantage.

Booneville closed the gap to 4-2 with a run in their portion of the fourth inning, however the Wolves blew the contest wide-open with seven runs in the sixth inning.

Patient perseverance at the plate allowed Lincoln to earn five baseon-balls in the stanza. Kaleb Ayers had a sacrifice fly in the inning for an RBI. McCaslin and Hulse also contributed an RBI single each, while Harris plated a pair of base runners with double down the right field line, which extended the lead to 11-2.

Booneville added a run to their total in the seventh inning, making the final score 11-3.

Tyler Cummings (4-1) picked up the win on the mound for the Wolves, pitching six innings, giving up two runs on four hits, with five strikeouts and three base-on-balls.

“He stayed in the zone and gave us an opportunity to win,” Brad Harris said.

Drew Harris (2 for 5, 3 RBIs, 2 RS) and Ayers (2 for 3, 1 RBI) led Lincoln’s offense with two hits each, while Riggin, Hulse, Barnum, McCaslin and Jacob Hernandez all contributed with one hit apiece.