Carlisle Run Rules Wolves 14-1

LINCOLN — Familiar voices reached the ear of Drew Moore as he endeavored to warm up during a misty, cold, windy day with Lincoln needing to get out of an inning.

The Wolves surrendered five runs while getting only one out when Lincoln baseball coach J. Keith called Moore to the mound out of right field on Friday, March 18. Lincoln trailed 5-1 coming into the third, but the inning had a been a disaster with an assortment of wild pitches and passed balls allowing Carlisle runners to freely move around the bases and score, increasing Lincoln’s deficit to 10-1.

The Bison would eventually win 14-1 by run rule in the fourth inning but the way things were going in the third it could have been a lot worse.

Keith’s solution involved making a double switch, inserting Moore at pitcher and sophomore Kellar Price at catcher.

Moore could hear the softball team cheering him and his teammates on, a dynamic he described as “very helpful,” especially when competing in conditions that make it harder to hold onto the baseball.

“It really makes you want to try harder. They showed us how good they were last night so we got to try to show them how good we are,” Moore said referring to a 15-5 and 13-3 sweep by the Lady Wolves over Valley Springs on Thursday, March 17.

Moore can distinguish some of the voices without seeing their faces even in the heat of a baseball battle between a pitcher and batter.

“There’s a few of them, yes, you can tell [who is cheering],” Moore said.

Moore gave up an RBI single up the middle then fanned the next two batters he faced.

He set up Lincoln’s only run by doubling into left center in the first advancing a runner to third. The Wolves scored on a passed ball and loaded the bases but a runner got caught cheating off first base to end their hopes for a multiple run rally.

“We were planning on using him as our closer today. We’re a little light on our pitching. We wanted to throw him about 30 pitches. We just wanted him to get some work in. It was a good time for him to come in and get some work with guys on. It’s a little bit different than what he normally does,” Keith said.

Carlisle scored 4 runs in the first off Lincoln starter Brayden Brown and added a fifth in the second before erupting for six in the third inning. The Bison got three more in the fourth and ended the game on a ground out to second base with two Wolves aboard in the fourth.

Wolves split a doubleheader at Green Forest on Tuesday, March 15, losing game one, 8-7, but dominating game two, 16-1, behind the pitching of Moore, who struck out 7. His bat also came in handy for the Wolves as he hit his first career home run.