Cordova Baseball Game Summaries

2002 Season Comes to a Close 5/10
Wolves Scratch Out Win Over Panthers 5/9
Cordova Moves to Losers Bracket in Dist. Tournament 5/8
Cordova Advances in District Playoffs 5/7
G'town Edges Out Cordova in Hard Fought Game 4/29
Cordova Wins at SBA 4/29
Cordova Hands Millington Their Only District Win of the Season 4/24
Cordova Battles Back to Beat Millington 4/23
Wolfpack Takes BP on Blue Devils Pitching 4/22
Tigers Squeak by Wolves 4/22
Cordova No Match For Munford 4/19
Cordova Evens Record with Bolton 1-1 (4/17)
Tight Game Tilts in Favor of Bolton (4/16)
Wolves Pluck Host Cardinals 4/14
Cordova Experiences Feast and Famine in Best of the West Tournament 4/14
Cordova Battles Back to Defeat Briarcrest 4/12
Aggressive Play Nets Cordova Win 4/11
Batting Slump Continues for Cordova 4/10
Conquistadors Give Cordova Wake-up Call in 0-9 Drubbing 4/8
Wolves Outlast Eagles for Extra Innings Win 4/8
SBA No Match for Wolfpack 4/8
Cordova Drops Third Straight Game by Single Runs 4/3
Cordova Drops District Opener to Bartlett (4/2)
Cordova Defeats Nationally Ranked Houston 3-2 (3/29)
Harris & Sluder Combine for No Hitter 3/27
Wolfpack Mauls Bulldogs 3/26
Cordova KO'ed by CBHS 3/26
Cordova's Beachum Throws No Hitter 3/23
St. Benedict Eagles Fall Prey to Wolfpack 3/23
Cordova Registers First Loss of the Season 3/22 
Wolfpack Goes 3-0 Early in Season 3/16
Cordova Sweeps Season Opening Double Header 3/15
Cordova Sweeps White Station and Houston in Weekend Preseason Play 3/04

2002 Season Comes to a Close 5/10

Cordova concluded their 2002 season Thursday at Millington’s USA Park, as they fell to the Munford Cougars 3-4 in a hard fought game.

Sophomore Travis Mathews, in his first start of the season, allowed 6 hits while striking out 5 over 6 innings. Both Mathews and Jack Matlock, pitching for Munford, had shaky starts as they combined to walk or hit 9 batters in the first 2 innings. After that, they settled down and got into the rhythm of the game. Munford scored a single run in each of their first 4 at-bats, while Cordova scored in the 2^nd, 5^th and 6^th innings.

Cordova had their chances more than once in the game, but were unable to capitalize on the base paths. The Wolves stranded 8 runners, and had the lead off batter reach base in 6 of the 7 innings of play, and the #2 batter reach in 4 of 7 innings. In the top of the 3^rd, the Wolfpack was poised for a big inning . Kirk Hall had scored when two Munford outfielders ran together attempting to catch his line drive to left-center field. But Lady Luck was against the Wolves, for with runners on the corners Cordova hit into a triple play… a 5-4-3-2 triple play!

Defensively junior catcher Brandon Badgett was a standout, gunning down 3 Cougars attempting to steal base.

The team can take pride in the 2002 season with a 20-15 record and a consistent top 10 ranking in the CA Dandy Dozen Poll throughout the season. We all wish the graduating seniors much success in their future endeavors, and with heartfelt emotions, bid them farewell.

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Wolves Scratch Out Win Over Panthers 5/9

Bartlett’s pitcher, Chase Hardin, allowed just two hits Tuesday afternoon in the district playoff game against Cordova; but it was one hit too many, as the Wolfpack scratched out a 3-1 win over the Panthers to advance to the semi-finals.

Anthony Pinkston’s 2 RBI double, with 2 outs in the 2^nd inning, gave Cordova confidence that they could finally get a win over Bartlett this season (after dropping both district games). An insurance run was added in the 5^th when Kirk Hall hit a double to drive in Pinkston. Bartlett came up with 5 hits in the game, but was only able to score a lone run; it coming in the 3^rd inning.

The dark cloud that had hung over senior pitcher Tim Long’s recent games, finally parted to let a little sunshine in, and he was able to pitch out of several jams for the win. Long, though pitching well, had lost 3 games by a single run this season.

The 4^th and 7^th innings both rated high on the "pucker factor chart" for the spectators. In the 4^th two standout plays were made. Hardin doubled to lead off the inning and advanced to 3^rd base on a passed ball. Goin attempted to execute a suicide squeeze, but Hardin did not break with the pitch and Long was able to toss the ball to Cordova’s outstanding catcher, Brandon Badgett, for the out. The next batter, Cunningham, ripped a ball to left-center field. Goin rounded 3^rd, heading for home. Anthony Pinkston tracked down the ball and hit Jeff Beachum, the relay man, who fired a strike to Badgett standing on the plate… crash… bang… when the smoke cleared Badgett held the ball in the air for all to see and the ump shouted "OUT" to end the inning.

Long was tiring, having thrown around 100 pitches, as the Panthers came to the plate for their final swings. With two outs Long walked a Barlett batsman on 4 straight pitches to put runners on 1^st and 2^nd. This brought the potential go-ahead run to the plate in Hardin, who had doubled earlier in the contest. Coach Blythe made a gutsy call and brought in Sophomore Travis Mathews, confident he could get the final out. Mathews did not disappoint him, as he struck out Hardin on 3 pitches to get the 1^st save of the season for any Cordova pitcher.

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Cordova Moves to the Losers Bracket in Dist. Tournament 5/8

Cordova got on the board early when Chris Miller drove in Michael Pinkston, who had doubled to reach base, for the first run of the game.  Unfortunately, there would be very few scoring opportunities in the remainder of the game.  Bolton’s pitcher, Lance Scoggins, gave up just 4 hits, as the Wildcats achieved a 1-9 victory over the Wolves in district tournament action. 

The game was still up for grabs heading into the bottom of the 4^th inning, when the wheels seemed to fall off the wagon.  Bolton scored 6 runs off of 3 hits.  A 3 RBI home-run was the final nail in the coffin, seeming to break the will of the team.  Everyone in the stands appeared to be both frustrated and baffled by the way this pivotal inning played out.

Defense was good for the Wolfpack.  The outfield consisting of the Pinkstons (Anthony, Alex and Michael) did an excellent job.  Markel Polk,  playing the hot corner, and Kirk Hall, showing his skills at short stop, combined for 9 put outs in the infield.

Juniors Anthony Albonetti and Justin Harris combined pitching efforts in the loss, giving up just 5 hits.

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Cordova Advances in District Playoffs 5/7

 Behind the strong arm of Jeff Beachum, the Wolves of Cordova shut out the Millington Trojans, 9 – 0, in District 14AAA tournament play.  Beachum (7-1) recorded an even dozen strikeouts while allowing just 3 hits in pitching the shut out.  The Wolfpack defense was errorless in support of Beachum.

 Beachum was also strong with the bat, as he registered 2 hits and 2 RBI’s in the win.  Kirk Hall was 1 of 3 with 2 RBI’s in the game.  Michael Pinkston, Chris Miller, Derek Ryder, Scott Goodman, Markel Polk and Anthony Pinkston also hit safely in the victory.

 Cordova will face regular season district champ Bolton at 7p Tuesday.

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G'town Edges Out Cordova in Hard Fought Game 4/29

The bases were loaded with two outs in the top of the 2^nd inning, Saturday at Germantown HS, and Holliman, the Red Devil's ace pitcher was struggling.  Senior Alex Pinkston came to the plate looking to get Cordova on the board in this 0-0 game.  He succeeded.  His RBI, hit by pitch, brought in Derek Ryder who had singled earlier in the inning.  Cordova was in the lead 1-0 against the #1 rated high school baseball team in the state. 

 The euphoria was short lived as Germantown scored three runs in the bottom of the 3rd inning to take a 1-3 lead.  The game would end four innings later with that score 1-3.

 The Wolves could muster but one hit in the remainder of the game, a lead off triple by Alex Pinkston in the 5^th. 

 Tim Long’s effort from the mound was good, as he held the high offense, Gernantown Red Devils to just 3 runs off of 6 hits, while striking out 5.  Travis Mathews came on in the 6^th to close.

It was a well played game between two very competitive teams, with little separating the two. This goes to show the quality of baseball in the metro Memphis area.

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Cordova Wins at SBA 4/29

Cordova trailed SBA 1-2 heading into the 6^th inning, Friday, April 26th, at SBA. A bunt single by Kirk Hall got the momentum rolling for the Wolfpack.  Michael Pinkston’s single to center, scored Hall and tied the game 2-2. Jeff Beachum reached base by being hit by a pitch. Scott Goodman drove home Pinkston, and Brandon Badgett’s hit to 3^rd base brought in Beachum, upping the score to 5-2. Cordova would score again in the 7th for a final count of 6-2. 

 Michael Pinkston and Kirk Hall were both 2 of 4 from the plate.  Anthony Albonetti struck out 7 St. Benedict batters on his way to pitching the complete game victory and increasing his record to 3-1 for the season.

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Cordova Hands Millington Their Only District Win of the Season 4/24

Led by Steven Crose, who touched Cordova pitching for 2 home runs, Millington earned their first and only district win of the season, Tuesday evening.  Millington (7-16, 1-7) rallied in the 6^th , scoring 5 runs, to break a 3-3 tie, for what was to ultimately become a 10-3 Trojan win.

Brett Jenne started his 2 game of the season for Cordova and K’d 9 Trojans in 5 innings work, while allowing 3 hits.  Wolfpack pitching combined for 13 strike outs in the 7 inning loss. 

The offensive hi-light was a lead-off home run by Jenne in the second inning, to aid his pitching efforts.

Cordova completed district play with a 3-5 record and will enter the district tournament as the 4^th seed. 

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Cordova Battles Back to Beat Millington 4/23

"Millington 3, Cordova 0", read the scoreboard, as the Wolfpack came to bat in the top of the 4th inning. The score would not remain that way for long... Miller single to center, Jenne single to right, Badgett single to left, Polk single to center... bam, bam, bam, Cordova scattered hits all over the outfield to score a run and load the bases. Anthony Pinkston came to the plate and was hit on a full count pitch to bring home the second run of the inning.  Hall singled to center to drive in a run and tie the score 3-3.

Brandon Badgett got the batting train going again in the 5th with a single to left. His hit was followed by Markel Polk's single to left, who was followed by Anthony Pinkston's bouncer through the gap at 3rd, and the inning was capped by a 340 ft. smash by Kirk Hall, that bounced over the fence for a ground rule double.  Cordova had padded their lead 7-3.

Jeff Beachum held the Millington Trojans scoreless after the 3rd inning.  He struck out 10 batters on the evening, to up his strikeout count to 71 K's, over his 46 innings on the mound this season.

Hall (4-5), Polk (3-4), Jenne (2-4) and Badgett (2-3) combine for 11 of the teams 14 hits, and 6 of the 7 RBI's.  Cordova carried away the victory 8-3 in this league contest. 

The play of the game came in the bottom of the 2nd.  The Millington first-baseman, Bean, hit a 2 out screamer down the 3rd base line and stopped on 2nd base.  Parrish, the Trojan center fielder, hit a ball crisply to right field.  Michael Pinkston picked the ball up on one hop and fired it to the cut-off man, Scott Goodman, who wheeled and threw the ball to the catcher, Badgett, just ahead of Bean's slide home, for the 3rd out of the inning.  A perfect relay from the outfield - home, using the cut-off man.

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Wolfpack Takes BP on Blue Devils Pitching 4/22

After being able to muster only a total of 8 hits in the previous 2 game of the tournament, the Wolves blasted West Memphis pitching for 15 hits, Saturday afternoon, on their way to a 19-3 victory.  The team batted an incredible .517 for the game.  Senior Scott Goodman line read 3-3-3 (AB-H-R) with a base on balls and a HBP, for a perfect 1.000 OBP.  Michael Pinkston was 3-2-3, Anthony Pinston was 3-2-0, Kirk Hall went 4-2-3, and Brandon Badgett was 4-2-2 with 3 RBI's.  Jeff Beachum, Chris Miller, Markel Polk and Derek Ryder all registered hits.

Junior lefty Justin Harris and Sophomore Jay Hollenbeck combined for the win, allowing just 5 hits, as Cordova stretched their season record to 16-11.

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Tigers Squeak by Wolves 4/22

Hardin County squeaked by Cordova with a 6th inning run to win 2-3 in Friday's second round game of the Millington Tournament.  Senior right-hander Tim Long allowed just 4 hits in the loss. 

The Wolves out hit the Hardin Co. Tigers 6 to 4, but couldn't capitalize on their advantage with the bat.  Senior Chris Miller was 3 -3 with a double in the loss.  Jeff Beachum, Brett Jenne and Derek Ryder also hit safely in the game.

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Cordova No Match For Munford 4/19

Too many errors and not enough hits... that was the story in Thursday's game, as Cordova was trounced by Munford 1-12. Freshman CJ McElveen and Junior Jake Sluder combined efforts from the mound to give up 3 earned runs of the 12 scored.  The outfield, consisting of Michael Pinkston, Alex Pinkston and Brett Jenne, kept Cordova in the game with 7 catches.  

The only offense came off the bats of Kirk Hall and Jenne; each produced a single, as the Wolfpack batted a measly .125 for the day.

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 Cordova Evens Record with Bolton 1-1 (4/17)

Behind the strong pitching of Senior Jeff Beachum, Cordova was able to turn the tables on Bolton, Tuesday night, as the Wolfpack beat the Wildcats 3-1.  Beachum threw a one hitter and struck out 8, as he advanced his record to 5-1 for the season.

With Beachum on the mound, it was common knowledge that an early lead would go a long way toward a win.  Senior Scott Goodman gave Cordova that lead in the top of the 2^nd inning with a 2 out smash, that was still gaining altitude as it clearer the 380 mark in center field, for his 4^th homer of the year.  Cordova methodically built on their lead throughout the contest, adding runs in the 3^rd and 6^th innings.  Senior Alex Pinkston had a single to start the 3^rd, was moved to 2^{nd by} a sacrifice bunt from Kirk Hall, took 3^rd on a Bolton fielding error, and scored off of an RBI single from Chris Miller.  Junior Brandon Badgett got a 1 out single in the 6^th, courtesy runner Philip Gibson (running for Badgett) advanced from 1^st to 3^rd on a failed pick-off attempt by Bolton, and came home on a fielding error by the Wildcats.

Cordova held a 3-0 lead as the Wildcats came to the plate for their final at-bat. Back-to-back errors to start the bottom of the 7^th brought the potential Bolton tying run to the plate.   Beachum decided to take matters in his own hands and struck out 2 of the next 3 batters he faced, with a RBI, sacrifice fly, sandwiched between the K’s, to end the game.

The Wolves had 7 hits on the night, compared to the Wildcats lone single.  Cordova defense was solid, except for  the final inning of play, with center-fielder Alex Pinkston contributing 4 put outs in the game.

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Tight Game Tilts in Favor of Bolton (4/16)

District 14AAA is home to some of the top teams in the area with Cordova, Bolton, Bartlett and Munford all present in the CA’s Baseball Dandy Dozen Poll.  The Wolves and Wildcats, justified their rankings Monday night, as they gave the fans their money’s worth, in a exciting game of baseball.  Sophomore Brett Jenne got his first start of the season at pitcher for the Wolfpack.  He did a solid job from the mound, striking out 6 Bolton batsmen in 5 innings work.

Here is how the game unfolded:

Trailing 0-4, Derek Ryder’s 2 out,  2 RBI double down the 3^rd base line, got Cordova back into the game.  Brandon Badgett followed Ryder with an RBI single to bring the score to 3-4.  Jenne held the Wildcats in the top of the 4^th.  Jeff Beachum and Chris Miller had back-to-back RBI singles, to give the Wolfpack a 5-4 lead, after 5 innings of play.

The game pushed into the 6^th inning, with Jenne’s pitch count reaching 98, he was pulled in favor of Senior Terry Stage.  A Wildcats runner who had reached base as Jenne’s last batter by walking, stole second and third and came home on an overthrow to the 3^rd baseman.  This tied the game 6-6.  Later in the inning a sacrific fly to right field scored another Bolton runner, for them to regain the lead 5-6.  Cordova was held scoreless in the bottom of the 6^th.

Trailing by a run Cordova took the field in the top of the 7^th.  The Bolton lead-off batter hit a "Texas Leaguer” to right-field, getting on base.  He took 2^nd when the following batter drew a walk, and 3^rd on a baulk.  With runners on 3^rd and 2^nd, the next Wildcat batter hit a sharp line drive to 3^rd baseman Miller, who fielded the ball and fired it to the catcher Badgett.  Badgett stood his ground as the Bolton player lowered his head and tried to run through Badgett, but Badgett defended the plate, knocking the aggressive runner aside, for the put out.  Coach signaled for the next batter to be intentionally walked, loading the bases.  On a 1-0 pitch, the Bolton clean-up hitter smacked a triple over the center fielder’s head, for a 3 RBIs.

Here is when tragedy struck.  The next batter hit a little dribbler between the pitcher’s mound and the 3^rd base line.  Stage broke from the mound, fielded the ball, and threw towards the plate, attempting to throw out the runner streaking for home from third base. Stage’s right knee buckled and he went to the ground, in sever pain.  The game was delayed as Stage was attended to by paramedics.  In the solemnity of the moment, Travis Mathews entered the game to pitch.  The last two out of the inning came on a 6-4-3 (Beachum-Hall-Goodman) double play.

The Wolfpack was not ready to throw in the towel, they still had fight left in them, as they came to the plate for their final at bat.  Badgett got things started with a flair to left field. Jenne followed with a double to center-field, and Goodman hit an RBI single to center-field to score Badgett.  Next, Jenne scored when Anthony Pinkston put the ball in play, and Justin Harris (pinch running for Goodman) came home on a wild pitch. 

The score stood at 8-10 with no outs, and Bolton went to their flame thrower, senior Jamie Carrico, to close out the game.  Michael Pinkston and Beachum both reached base.  With 2 outs and the potential go-ahead run at the plate, everyone in the stands were holding their breath.  Miller, who had hit safely in each of his 3 at-bats of the game, stood in the batter’s box, and with a 1-1 count, hit a ball to the Wildcat right-fielder to end the game.  Final score Bolton 10, Cordova 8.

Our prayers go out to Terry Stage for a prompt recover from his injury.

Miller was 3-4, Beachum 2-4, Badgett 2-4, Jenne 2-4; as Cordova out hit Bolton 11-7 in the loss.

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Wolves Pluck Host Cardinals  4/14

The players must have been thinking, "Ho, Hum, another easy win", when they jumped out to a 7-0 lead after the 1^st inning of play, Saturday evening in Brighton.  The Wolfpack's complacency almost got the best of them, as the Brighton Cardinals outscored Cordova 7 to 4 in the remaining 6 innings of the game. 

 Brighton pulled their starting pitcher with no outs in the 1^st, after he allowed all 6 Cordova batsmen he faced to reach base safely.  The reliever, Hunter Scott, did his job over 5 innings, allowing 4 hits and 2 runs.  When he was replaced on the mound in the 6^th , Cordova put an additional 3 runs on the score board to seal the victory 11-7.

 Justin Harris, Jake Sluder (W, 2-0) and Travis Mathews combined efforts from the mound for the win.  They struck out 7 Brighton batters, but allowed 10 walks (of which 5 scored).  Fielding was lackadaisical at best, as the two teams combined for a minimum of 10 errors. 

 Though not a pretty win, the team held on to walk away with the victory, giving them a tournament record of 3-1.

 Senior Derek Ryder was the bright spot in the game.  As the Designated Hitter, he hit a triple, double and single, with an intentional walk that my have kept him from hitting for the cycle.  Ryder was 3 for 3 with 4 RBI's. 

 Junior Kirk Hall continued to show why he hits in the lead-off spot going 2 for 3, scoring 2 runs and stealing a base, in the victory.  Hall batted 7-16 (.438) in the tournament.  Others with a hot bat in the tournament were Senior Jeff Beachum 5-9 (.556), and Junior Anthony Pinkston 6-15 (.400).

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Cordova Experiences Feast and Famine in Best of the West Tournament 4/14

 Friday was a day of diametric results, as Cordova went from scoring 26 runs in the top half of a double header, to zero in the bottom half.  There were some consistencies though; pitching was excellent in both games, defense was great, with only one fielding error committed in 12 innings of play for the day.   The split ticket had Cordova beating MUS 26-1, and losing to CBHS 0-1.

 The Wolves devoured MUS in an early afternoon game, outscoring MUS 26-1.  The deathblow as administered in the 4^th inning by Cordova, as 21 batters came to the plate, with 16 crossing home to score.

  Several players had outstanding lines for the game. Michael Pinkston was 5-5 w/ 5 RBI's, Brett Jenne was 5-5 w/ 4 RBI's, Anthony Pinkston was 3-4, Chris Miller was 2-3 w/ 4 RBI's, and Kirk Hall was 4-6 in the game.

 Anthony Albonetti allowed just 3 hits, while striking out 5, for his second win of the year.  Although he had to endure long waits between innings, the delays had no impact on his pitching, as he never had a let-up throughout the contest.

 The evening game pitted Cordova against rival CBHS.  Here it was a pitching duel between Seniors Tim Long and Jon Crosby.  Each pitcher allowed only 3 hits in this struggle between two hard throwers.  Cordova's Long had his best outing of the season to date. He showed good accuracy with his fast ball and change up, keeping the Purple Wave off balance from beginning to end of the game.  CBHS lone score came in the bottom of the 4^th inning.  Faison had walked to lead-off the inning and with 2 outs had advanced to 3^rd.  Washam came to the plate and laid a picture perfect bunt down the third base line, with Faison coming home on the pitch, culminating in a textbook "suicide squeeze".

 The defensive play of the game came in the bottom of the 2^nd.  A CBHS runner had gotten on base due to a fielding error (the only error in game).  The next batsman hit a flair that looked to be heading for no-man's land in short left-center field.  On the crack of the bat, short stop Jeff Beachum faded back, twisting and turning to get the right angle on the ball.  He made the catch and fired a strike to 1^st base to double up the CBHS runner, who had been caught off the bag, anticipating the ball to drop for a hit.

 Two of the Wolfpack's 3 hits were off the bat of Beachum, the third hit went to Brett Jenne.

 Cordova should take equal pride in both games.  The loss to the Purple Wave was a superbly played game.

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Cordova Battles Back to Defeat Briarcrest 4/12

There was something in the air, Thursday afternoon in Brighton, that allowed the ball to carry for extra bases, as the teams combined for 11 extra base hits.  Cordova’s 3 triples and 3 doubles had a little more to them, as the Wolfpack bested the Saints of Briarcrest 8-7.

 The Wolves added to a 2-1 lead in the 3^rd with Michael Pinkston’s lead-off triple, followed by Jeff Beachum’s RBI double.  Then Chris Miller brought Beachum home on a Sac Fly. Cordova held a 5-2 lead going into the bottom of the 5^th.  Five hits in 6 at-bats put Briarcrest on top in the 5^th.  With one out, Travis Mathews came in to pitch in relief of Terry Stage, and got the remaining 2 outs in the inning by K’s. 

Cordova jumped back into the lead in the top of the 6^th.  Anthony Pinkston led the inning with a double to left field. Zack Zimmerman laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Pinkston to 3^rd, then Kirk Hall ripped a ball to left field to bring in Pinkston and tie the game 6-6.  Next, Michael Pinkston hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Hall and take the lead 7-6.  Mathews struck out the side in the bottom of the 6^th to set up the 7^th, and final, inning.

 Brandon Badgett doubled and Brett Jenne brought him home with an RBI  triple in the top of the 7^th, to pad Cordova’s lead 8-6. 

 A double by Saint’s center-fielder, Brad Little, drove in a run in the bottom of the 7^th inning, with 1 out.  Fortunately, he was stranded on base when the inning concluded, as the next Briarcrest batsman grounded out to 2^nd, and the final batter dribbled the ball in front of the plate, for a 2-3 put-out. 

 Stage and Mathews combined efforts on the mound for the victory, upping Cordova’s record to 12-7.    Six of the Wolfpack’s 10 hits were for extra bases; triples by Michael Pinkston, Jeff Beachum and Brett Jenne; doubles by Beachum, Brandon Badgett and Anthony Pinkston.  Anthony Pinkston had 3 hits in 4 plate appearances in the game.

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Aggressive Play Nets Cordova Win 4/11

Oh what a difference a day makes.  Cordova came out full of energy, Wednesday night, and played like a team on a mission... a mission to win... and win they did, besting Munford 1-0.  Behind the strong pitching of Jeff Beachum, and errorless defense by the team, the Wolfpack held the Munford Cougars to just 3 hits and a total of 5 base runners for the game.  No Munford player advanced safely past the 2nd base bag.

The most dramatic play of the game came during the first at-bat of the game.  With a 1-1 count the Cougar's lead-off batter rocketed a pitch to the fence in left-center field.  The Munford batter attempted to stretch a double, into a triple and was thrown out at 3rd by a 7-6-5 relay. Unbeknownst at the time, that was as far as any Munford base runner would advance in the evening.

Beachum (4-1) struck out 8 batters, and Chris Miller added 5 put-outs from his 3rd base position, to go along with Brett Jenne's 4 put-outs for left field, in the shut out of Munford.

Offensively, Junior Kirk Hall was the star of the game.  Hall went 4 for 4, had 3 stolen bases, and scored the only run of the night.  Senior Derek Ryder was 2 for 2 from the plate, and Junior Michael Pinkston had the winning RBI.

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Batting Slump Continues for Cordova 4/10

The Munford Cougars pounced on the Wolfpack in their first at-bat, recording 6 runs off of 5 hits.  A series of fluke hits put Cordova on it's heels to start the game.  The Cougar's lead-off batter hit a pop-up, that everyone thought would go foul, that landed in fair territory for a double.  The next batter's hit took a funny bounce and hopped over the short stop's head for an RBI single. This series of bad breaks seemed to set the tone for the game, as Cordova was shut out for the second time in a row, this time by a score of 0-7.

Senior Jeff Beachum broke up the Munford pitcher, Clint Arthur's, no-hitter in the 3rd, as he legged out a single.  Junior Brandon Badgett, whacked a ball to center-field in the 4th inning for the only other Cordova hit of the night.  Arthur's fast ball and biting slider K'ed 10 Wolves in the game.

Defensively, Cordova settled in and played a good game.  After the 1st inning, the Cougars could only muster one hit for the remainder of the contest (a bunt, that the fielders let roll to see if it would go foul).  Sophomores Travis Mathews and Brett Jenne pitched well in relief of starting pitcher, Junior, Justin Harris.  Mathews and Jenne combined to strike-out 5 Munford batters and allow just one run, off of one hit, over 5 2/3 innings.

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Conquistadors Give Cordova Wake-up Call in 0-9 Drubbing 4/8 

The Conquistadors of Olive Branch HS lived up to their moniker Saturday morning, as they gave the Wolfpack a sold whipping.  Cordova was shut out for the first time this season, as OBHS walked away with a 0-9 victory.  Senior Scott Goodman batted 2 of 3 in the game.  His only offensive assistance came from base hits by Kirk Hall and Alex Pinkston, to bring the team's total hits to 4 for the contest.  To exacerbate the situation, Olive Branch pitching gave 11 free passes to Wolfpack batters, but Cordova could not capitalize, and stranded 11 runners on the base paths in the game.

On the other side of the coin, the Conquistadors battered Cordova pitching to the tune of 11 hits over 6 innings.  They scored 6 runs in the their first two at-bats, and then sat back, daring the Wolves to score.  Unfortunately, their dare went  unanswered, as the Wolves tucked their tails between their collective legs and limped back to Cordova.

Hopefully this game will serve as a wake-up call to the Wolfpack, and they will come out with fire in their bellies in the upcoming district run.  Weather permitting, Cordova will  have 15 outings over the next three weeks, and they will need to come to the ballpark every night ready to play.

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Wolves Outlast Eagles for Extra Innings Win 4/8

It took a total team effort, Friday afternoon, for the Cordova Wolves to beat the ECS Eagles in a 9 inning game.  Pitching, fielding and hitting all came together, to give the 8th ranked Wolves a 7-6 victory over the 5th ranked ECS Eagles.

ECS broke the game open in the 3rd, scoring 4 runs to pad their lead 1-5.

Cordova got back into the game with a big 4th inning.  They had 7 Wolves successfully reached base, using 4 hits (Ryder, Hall, Jenne and Beachum), to enable 5 runners to touch home plate, and take a 6-5 lead.  

ECS came back to tie the game in the 5th inning, 6-6.  Senior center-fielder Alex Pinkston keep the Eagles from scoring the potential winning run; he made a diving catch of a line drive to center field for the out, and was able to hold the go-ahead runner on 3rd base.

The score remained locked at 6-6 from the 5th until the bottom of the 9th inning, when, with two outs, Brandon Badgett drove in Michael Pinkston for the go-ahead, and eventual,  winning run. 

The game was load with big plays, here are just a few;  
* In the bottom of the 7th, the final regulation inning, with 2 outs and 2 runners on, senior short stop Jeff Beachum cleanly fielded a sharply hit ball and threw the runner out at 1st, to put the game into extra innings. 
* In the bottom of the 8th, with the score still tied 6-6, with one out and the go-ahead run on 3rd, Chris Miller fielded a hot grounder and threw out the runner at the plate. 
* Still in the bottom of the 8th, relief pitcher Travis Mathews struck-out the Eagles #2 batter for the third out of the inning with the go-ahead run on 3rd.
* Holding on to a one run lead, in the bottom of the 9th, junior right-fielder Michael Pinkston made an incredible catch of a hard hit ball to deep right field for the 2nd out of what was to become the final inning. 

Senior center-fielder Alex Pinkston, and junior right-fielder Michael Pinkston, both were big contributors to the victory, combining for 6 put-outs from their positions. Offensively, Kirk Hall (3-5), Brett Jenne (3-4), Jeff Beachum (2-4), provided the bulk of the offense.

Senior right-hander Terry Stage had a solid outing, pitching 7 1/3 innings, and with the exception of a turbulent 3rd inning which saw ECS score 4 runs, pitched masterfully. Stage, though sick with the flu, threw 105 pitches before being relieved in the 8th inning.  Sophomore Travis Mathews, took the mound in relief of Stage, and pitched 1 2/3 innings, facing 6 batters, and received credit for the win.  

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SBA No Match for Wolfpack 4/8

Chris Miller blasted a 330 foot home run Thursday, April 4^th, along with a single and a double, to lead the Cordova Wolves to a 10-5 victory over the St. Benedict Eagles.  Miller was 3 of 4 from the plate, collecting 4 RBI’s on the night.  His home run was his 3^rd of the season.

 The Wolfpack jumped out to an early 7-1 lead, after a two out rally in the 2^nd inning, and never looked back on their way to the win.  Junior right-handers Jake Sluder (1-0) and Anthony Albonetti combined efforts for the win.

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Cordova Drops Third Straight Game by Single Runs 4/3

 The Cordova Wolfpack has played four one run baseball games in a row.  Unfortunately, they are upside down by a ratio of 1:3.  The Wolfpack has been winless since their dramatic victory over Houston HS on March 23^rd, losing by a run each to MUS and Bartlett HS twice.

 Tuesday’s game was a pitching duel, matching Cordova ace, senior Jeff Beachum, against Bartlett’s senior hurler, Casey Cunningham.  Beachum won the battle of the stats, but Cunningham got the win, as Cordova fell 1-3.  Beachum struck-out a season high 12 batters, while allowing just 3 hits over 7 innings, but Cordova’s 5 hits were restricted to just one per inning, severely limiting scoring opportunities in the game.

 The best opportunities for the Wolfpack came in the 5^th and 6^th innings, when they stranded 5 base runners without scoring.  In the 5^th, bases were loaded with one out; a strike-out, followed by a fly-out, ended that scoring drive.  The next inning, the 6^th, the first two batters up reached base, but they were followed by back-to-back fielder’s choices and a strike-out to maroon those runners on the base paths.

 Senior Chris Miller continued to pound the ball, going 2 for 3 in the game, and 4 for 6 in the two game series.  Beachum, Brandon Badgett and Zack Zimmerman also hit safely in the game.

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Cordova Drops District Opener to Bartlett (4/2)

Who would have ever believed that Cordova could hit 4 home runs in a single game and come out on the short end of the stick when the contest was over?  Sadly, it was no April Fools joke Monday, April 1^st, when the Wolfpack dropped their district opener to the Bartlett Panthers, 7-8.  Senior Chris Miller hit two HR’s and registered 3 RBI’s in the game.  Juniors Kirk Hall and Michael Pinkston also hit four baggers, to give Cordova 4 HR’s on the night.

 Bartlett took an early lead with a 2 RBI double in the bottom of the 1^st inning.  Cordova came back to tie the game 2-2 in the top of the 2^nd with a 2 RBI HR by Miller.  Cordova momentarily took the lead, 3-2,  in the top of the 3rd when Hall ripped a HR over the left field fence.  Bartlett came back in the bottom of the 3^rd with an RBI double down the 3^rd base line.  Miller led off the 4^th with his second HR on the game to deep left-center, giving Cordova the advantage once again at 4-3.  Bartlett sent a runner home in the bottom half of the inning off of a sacrifice fly to center field, to re-tie the game 4-4.

Things got wild, as tension grew, in the 5^th inning .  Junior pitcher Justin Harris had been cruising to this point in the game, having allowed just 3 hits, while striking out 4, over 4 innings.  The Panther’s lead-off batter hit a single to right field.  Harris struck out the next batsman, on a full count strike, and junior catcher Brandon Badgett fired the ball down to 2^nd for a “strike’em out throw’em out” double play.  With two outs, the next three Bartlett batters reached base, and Harris was relieved by Sophomore Travis Mathews who eventually struck out a Bartlett batter to end the inning; regrettably, not before the Panthers had taken the lead, 4-7, off of 5 hits and a base-on-balls.

 The contest came down to the 7^th inning.  Cordova came to the plate trailing 4-8.  Senior Derek Ryder got things started with a double to right field.  Next, Junior Anthony Pinkston hit a single, pushing Ryder to 3^rd.  Senior Jeff Beachum grounded out to the Panther's 2^nd baseman, driving Ryder home.  Junior Michael Pinkston kept Cordova’s hopes alive, as he blasted the first pitch he saw over the fence, for a 2 RBI HR (the fourth Wolfpack homer of the night).  This brought the tally to 7-8, with Miller, holding the hottest bat on the team, up at the plate.  Unfortunately, he could not three-peat his magic, as he became the final out of the game.  Final score Cordova 7, Bartlett 8. 

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Cordova Defeats Nationally Ranked Houston 3-2

It was a picture perfect night for baseball; the crowd could tell by the tension in the air, this was going to be a big game.  The spectators filed in Thursday night with great anticipation for the face-off between cross town rivals, the Cordova Wolfpack and the Houston Mustangs.

After a shaky beginning to the first inning, which saw Cordova commit two errors, and Houston score their first run of the game, the Wolfpack settled down and played some serious baseball, ending the inning with a pick off of  a runner who had reached base on a Cordova error.  Houston would score again, as a lead off single in the 3^rd inning came home on a wild pitch.  But that was to be all the offense the Mustangs could generate, as Cordova senior Jeff Beachum showed outstanding presence on the mound, to hold Houston to just 3 hits while striking out 11 batters.

Junior catcher Brandon Badgett hit a flair to left field to reach base safely in the 5th.  Junior short-stop Zack Zimmerman followed with a single through the right side of the field.  They both advanced on a passed-ball, putting them on 2^nd and 3^rd.  Junior second-baseman Kirk Hall blasted a sacrifice fly, scoring Badgett to put the first Cordova run on the board.

Beachum led off the bottom of the 6^th , with a spectacular home run, high over the left field fence, to tie the game, and re-energize the Wolfpack team.

The score was tied 2-2, as Cordova came to bat in the bottom of the 7^th.  After battling the relief pitcher, Zimmerman received a full-count walk with one out and he advanced to 2^nd base on a passed ball.  Hall came to the plate and with a full count, hit a ball to the Mustang 2^nd baseman, for what looked to be a sure out.  But with Hall hustling down the baseline toward 1^st caused the Houston 2^nd baseman to hurry his throw; the ball ended up in the Cordova dug out, allowing Zimmerman to streak around 3^rd and touched home plate for the winning run.  The stadium erupted in cheers as Cordova defeated nationally ranked Houston by a score of 3-2, to bring their season record to 8-2.

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Harris & Sluder Combine for No Hitter 3/27

The Tigers of Whitehaven were held hitless, Wednesday evening, as sophomore pitchers Justin Harris and Jake Sluder combined to throw a no hitter, in the 17-0 win.  They struck out 9 of the 17 batters (2 over the minimum) they faced in the 5 inning game.  The score board read No Runs, No Hits, No Errors for Cordova, as the Wolfpack marked up their second no hitter of the season.

Seven hits were enough swings to score 17 runs for the Wolfpack.  Tiger pitching allowed 19 extra base runners to reach by error, walks and hit batsmen.  Senior Chris Miller was a perfect 2-2-2 with 2 RBI's in the game.

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Wolfpack Mauls Bulldogs 3/26

Bats were popping Monday afternoon, as the Wolfpack trounced the Bulldogs of Fairley HS by a score of 16-2. The coup de grace came in the form of Senior Scott Goodman connecting on his 3^rd homerun of the season, in his last at-bat of the day. This HR was the 5^th extra base hit of the afternoon for the Wolves. Cordova recorded 13 hits in the victory, led by Senior Jeff Beachum’s 4 for 4 performance.

Junior hurler Anthony Albonetti pitched the complete game victory, allowing just 3 hits over 5 innings.

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Cordova KO'ed by CBHS 3/26

Cordova took one on the chin Sunday, March 24^th, as they fell to the Purple Wave of CBHS for the second time this season.

CBHS pulled ahead, 2-1, in the bottom of the 2^nd inning and never looked back on their way to a 8-5 win over Cordova. Though each squad had 8 hits a piece, the Purple Wave had 5 hits for extra bases (2-HR, 3-doubles).

Michael Pinkston (2-2), Jeff Beachum (2-3), Chris Miller (2-3)and Kirk Hall (2-4) provided the firepower for the Wolfpack from the plate.

The mound was occupied by senior right-hander Terry Stage (1-1). Travis Mathews pitched in relief.

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Cordova's Beachum Throws No Hitter

Senior Jeff Beachum faced 23 batters, two over the minimum for a 7 inning game, on his way to registering a no-hitter against the Blue Devils of West Memphis HS, Saturday, at Nat Brewing Stadium. The feat, rare in any pitcher's career, was accomplished by Beachum striking out 11 batters, coupled with solid defense on the part of the entire Wolfpack team. Beachum (2-0) has allowed just 2 hits over 11 innings, and has rang up Ks on an amazing 18 batters, in his 2 outings for the season.

Cordova (5-1) scored 5 runs off of 5 hits, with 3 of the hits for extra bases, on their way to this 5-0 win over West Memphis. Senior Scott Goodman continued to shine at the plate, going 2 for 3 with a triple. Through 6 games he is hitting a stout .611 (11-18), and has 13 RBI's to go along with 4 extra base hits (including 2 home-runs). Also hitting safely were Michael Pinkston, Anthony Pinkston and Chris Miller.

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St. Benedict Eagles Fall Prey to Wolfpack

The Cordova Wolves devoured the St. Benedict Eagles Friday afternoon while registering 12 hits on their way to a lopsided 14-1 victory. Seniors Jeff Beachum (4 of 4) and Scott Goodman (3 of 4) combined for a plate performance of 7 of 8 with 8 RBI's in the win. Goodman recorded his 2^nd home run of the early season in the game.

Hits were hard to come by for the Eagles, as Wolfpack pitching gave up just one hit in the game. Junior lefty Justin Harris achieved 6 K's in 3 innings on the mound. Jake Sluder and Travis Mathews each threw an inning in relief to closing out the game, and sat down 5 of the 7 batters they faced, bring the strike out total to 11 for the afternoon.