Cordova Baseball Game Summaries

Prom Night Massacre
Lighting can't stop Cordova's winning streak
Wolfpack starts post season tournament 2-0
Senior Night 2003
Purple & Gold hex Wolfpack
Cordova wins big over Collierville 11-1
Cordova finishes district at 4-4
Cordova downs Bartlett 6-3
Cordova Crowned Champions of Millington Invitational Tournament 
Cordova evens district record at 3-3 with win over Millington
Cordova beats Millington 5-2
Cordova downs ECS 10-5
Houston slaughters Cordova in rematch
Cordova drops district game to Bolton
Cordova gets back on winning track with 10-5 win over Millington 
Fans get their monies worth as Cordova loses close game to CBHS.
Munford evens score at 1-1
Wolves down Cougars in district opener 4-2
Best of the West Tournament
Cordova squeaks by Saints for 3-2 win
Cordova wins 5-1 against rival Houston
Cordova slaughter Warriors 12-0
Wolves decapitate Buccaneers 15-6
Wolves battle back to tie Indians 6-6
Wolves Slay Collierville Dragons 4-1
Wolfpack earns season's first loss at hands of Red Devils 7-8
Wolves pluck ECS Eagles 9-4
Cordova wins season opener 9-3.
Wolfpack remains unbeaten in preseason play.
Three-peat. Cordova sweeps CBHS in 3 game series 4-3
Lighting Strikes Twice. Cordova beats CBHS 9-4
Baseball is back! Cordova downs CBHS 10-1

Prom Night Massacre

Ever had a day when your head really wasn’t in your work?  Well, Friday the Cordova ball team’s head really wasn’t in the game.  Due to poor weather, the district tournament had been delayed several days, forcing the championship series to coincide with the participants Senior Prom night.  Players were concerned about getting the game over with so that they could get home, get ready, pick up their dates, and enjoy a night that had been in the planning for months.  And who could blame them, Senior Prom only comes once in a life time.  Unfortunately, this preoccupation may have cost them the district title and ability to prolong their baseball season, as the Wolfpack lost back-to-back games to the Munford Cougars, and with the losses the district championship. 

Cordova had won their three previous district tournament games against Millington, Bolton and Bartlett.  The pitching staff carried a 0.67 ERA during the 3 victories, and had allowed just 2 earned runs in the 3 games.  The opposition was batting just .159 against them.  After the Munford series on Friday, the pitching staff’s ERA had ballooned to 4.60, and the earned runs had grown to 23!  Adding Munford to the stats brought the oppositions batting average to .302 for the tournament.  Pitching, which had been the teams strong point up till the final day of play, fell apart against Munford.  During the regular season, Cordova had faced Munford twice splitting the series 1-1, with games of 4-2 and 0-2, and a combined ERA of 1.50.  The tournament ERA in the 2 Munford games was 10.5.  Munford was beatable, just not that day.

Team batting remained on pace throughout the tournament.  The team carried an anemic .233 into the Munford series and actually raised their average with the Munford games to .238. Mark Foster led the team in hitting for the tournament with a .385 BA (5/13).  Ephraim McCleary’s BA was .357 (5/14), and Markel Polk hit .308 (4/13).  These three were honored with selection to the District 14-AAA All Tournament Team. 

I’m sure if the games had been played a day earlier or a day later the outcome would have been different, but we will never know for sure.  Munford swept Cordova in the double elimination series 6-17 and 4-8 on their way to winning the 14-AAA District crown. 

All in all, Cordova had a wonderful season winning more games than ever before in the schools 4 years with a varsity program.  During the Wolfpack’s 24-13-1 season, the team carried a .306 BA, which tied the all time record set in 2000, and the 319 team hits blew away the old mark set by the 2002 team of 289.  This team of young men should be very proud of their accomplishments, finishing 2^nd in the district and winning the Millington Invitational Tournament.
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Lighting can't stop Cordova's winning streak

The Wolves long wait to complete game 3 of the 14-AAA District Tournament came to a happy conclusion Thursday, as they remained undefeated in the district tournament by beating the Bartlett Panthers 3-2.  The game began under dark skies and drizzling rain on Monday at Bolton.  Justin Harris was on the mound for Cordova, taking care of Bartlett’s top of the line-up 1-2-3.  Anthony Pinkston got the Wolves on the board in the bottom of the first with a home run over the 380 foot mark in left-field.  Brett Jenne and Michael Pinkston both reached base.  With 2 outs in the bottom of the 1st inning, and a 1-0 count to Philip Gibson, the umpire called the game due to lighting.  The story picks up 3 days later… under sunny skies at USA Stadium in Millington.  Now Gibson steps to the plate with Jenne and Pinkston on base, but instead of facing Thomas on the mound for Bartlett, Gibson is up against a rested Chase Hardin, the Panthers ace pitcher.  Gibson lines out to the 1B to end the inning. 

Harris retook the mound for Cordova but was replaced after facing just 2 batters by Travis Mathews.  Bartlett scored on a throwing error from the outfield to tie the game 1-1 and scored a second time in the 3^rd inning to pull ahead 1-2.  

Each at-bat in each inning was exciting, but things really heated up for Cordova in the bottom of the 6^th inning.  Mark Foster ripped a double down the 3^rd base line with 1 out, and with 2 outs Ephraim McCleary avoided a tag at 1^st base to score Foster, tying the game at 2-2. 

Garrett Hachtel entered the game for the Wolfpack in the 7^th, inheriting a runner at 1^st.  He did a good job against Bartlett attempting to manufacture a run through bunting, and struck out a Panther batter at a critical time, with runners poised at 2^nd and 3^rd, to set up a force out to end the inning. 

Excitement abounded as Cordova came to the plate for in the bottom of the 7^th with the score tied 2-2.  Kirk Hall slapped a pitch through the SS gap for a hit, then stole 2^nd.  With 2 outs Bartlett pitcher Chase Hardin put Brett Jenne on base with an intentional walk, then through 4 straight balls to Michael Pinkston, loading the bases.  Up to the plate stepped Foster, who was 2 of 3 for the afternoon already.  The 1^st pitch was a brush back that almost hit him, then on a 3-1 count, Hardin let loose a fast ball… it was high, for ball four, walking in the winning run! 

Cordova pitchers, Senior Justin Harris, Junior Travis Mathews and Sophomore Garrett Hachtel, combined to limit Bartlett to 5 hits and 1 earned run.  Mark Foster and Anthony Pinkston were both 2 of 3 from the plate in the victory.

Five events were noteworthy. A throw from CF Brett Jenne to C Julian Henson for a tag at the plate to end the 3^rd inning. A pick off by Travis Mathews (PO 1-3-4-3) in the 5^th.  2B Kirk Hall’s good defensive stop in the 7^th preserved the 2-2 tie.  Mark Foster doubled and scored in the 6^th to tie the game 2-2 and had the winning RBI in the 7^th.  Last but far from least, Anthony Pinkston’s HR to start the game.

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Wolfpack starts post season tournament 2-0

Cordova started the district 14-AAA tournament in fine fashion Friday, by beating Millington 3-2. 

A home run in the 1^st inning put Millington on top.  Cordova came back in the 3^rd to take the lead when Julian Henson and Kirk Hall crossed the plate.  The Wolfpack added a run to the tally in the 6^th as Ephraim McCleary doubled and was driven in by Markel Polk. 

Travis Mathews started the game, and with the exception of the 1^st inning home run, had gone through the Millington batting order almost effortless.  In the top of the 7^th, with a 3-1 led, things changed.  Two throwing errors where followed by a single to load the bases for Millington, with no outs.  Anthony Albonetti was ready for the challenge, as he came in to relieve with bases loaded.  He faced 2 batters and got 3 outs for the save (his 3^rd on the season).   Albonetti struck out the first batter he faced, but a wild pitch allowed the runner on 3^rd to score, and the other runners to advance.  Millington’s coaches called for a suicide squeeze, but the batter failed to make contact with the ball and the base runner was caught in no-man’s land for a 2-5-1-6 put out.  The final out was a dribbler to 1B which  Polk handled with ease.  Mathews struck out 9 while giving up 4 hits and 1 earned run for the win. 

Round 2 of the tournament pitted Cordova against the regular season champs, the Bolton Wildcats, Saturday night.  Brett Jenne took the mound for Cordova to face off with Bolton’s Lance Scoggins.  Lefty verses lefty, power verses power.  It was advertised as a pitching duel and they didn’t let the crowd down.  The two combined for 22 strike-outs in the 1-0 victory for Cordova. 

Jenne’s 10 strike outs in the shut out were not the only heroics of the evening.  Mark Foster came up big for the Wolves as he hit a solo home run to lead off the 2^nd inning, for the only score of the night; and 3B Philip Gibson made plays twice in the game that kept Cordova in the lead.  In the 2^nd inning with 1 out and the bases loaded, Gibson gloved a line drive to third and outraced the retreating runner to the bag for a force out - unassisted double play.  Again in the 6^th inning Gibson came through, as an eager Bolton base runner over ran the bag at 3^rd, Gibson had the presence of mind to receive the throw from right field, find the base runner, and tag him out, eliminating another scoring threat.

Game #2

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Senior Night 2003

Cordova baseball honored it’s senior class Tuesday, moments before their match against Germantown.  Diamond Girls Jennifer Jones and Jackie Nobert were presented to the fans, along with senior players Anthony Albonetti, Brandon Badgett, Kirk Hall, Justin Harris, Anthony & Michael Pinkston, Markel Polk and Jake Sluder.  Lana Mason pleased the crowd as she sang the National Anthem during the ceremony.  Hall’s grandfather, Tom Bryant, a loyal team fan, threw out the first pitch of the evening.  

Once the festivities concluded the game got underway. The senior pitching trio of Sluder, Harris and Albonetti allowed just 2 hits while striking out 5 in the contest.  Though Cordova out hit Germantown 5 to 2, they lost 1-3.  Philip Gibson had a noteworthy night, going 2 for 3 and scoring the lone run for Cordova.  He also had 5 defensive assist from his 3^rd base position.

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Purple and Gold hex Wolfpack

The sky was gloomy Saturday afternoon and carried that sense of foreboding doom that often comes before a loss, as the Wolves and the Purple Wave faced off at CBHS.  Kirk Hall got Cordova on the score board early with a lead off hit in the first, and came home off of Brett Jenne’s sacrifice fly ball to right field.  The Wolfpack added a run in the 2^nd when Mark Foster was driven home by Halls 2^nd hit of the day, for a 2-0 lead.  CBHS came back in the 3^rd and scored a run off of a double to center field, followed by a stolen back and a wild pitch.  A 3 hit 5^th (including 2 doubles), brought the score to 3-1 in favor of Cordova.  

A walk, stolen base, error and baulk, brought the 2^nd Purple Wave player of the game across the plate in the bottom of the 5^th.  A 3 hit 6^th saw Christian Brothers score 2 more and take a 3-4 lead.  Cordova loaded the bases in the 7^th with 1 out, but could not bring a runner home, as they fell to the Purple Wave… final score Cordova 3, CBHS 4. 

Kirk Hall put on a hitting exhibition going 4 for 4 with an RBI, 2 runs scored and 2 stolen bases, from the lead off spot.  Brandon Badgett had a solid game behind the plate.  He tagged out 2 Purple Wave runners at the plate, threw out a CBHS runner at 3^rd,  and caught a foul pop-up behind the dish. 

Travis Mathews started the game and went 4 1/3, Anthony Albonetti pitched the remainder of the game in relief, earning the loss.

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Cordova wins big over Collierville 11-1

Mark Foster had a huge game offensively Friday against the Collierville Dragons as he went long with a 2 RBI home run in the 7^th, to cap an 11-1 victory.  Foster reached base during each of his 4 at-bats.  He had a single, double, home run, and reached by fielder’s error.  He scored 3 runs and had 2 RBI… what a day! 

LHP Bret Jenne picked up his third win of the season against the Dragons, allowing just 3 hits and one run over 6 innings. 

Cordova put 6 runs up in the 2^nd and 4 more Wolves came across the plate in the 6^th, to go with the 2 in the 7^th off of Fosters HR.  Ephraim McCleary had a 2 RBI triple in the 6^th to knock the Dragons undefeated starter Tromley, out of the game.

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Cordova finishes district at 4-4

Cordova concluded their district play for the 2003 season on Tuesday night with a 6-9 loss to Bartlett.  The Wolves completed district play in 3^rd place, finishing 4-4 on the season.  Cordova will face #2 Bartlett in the district tournament.

Tuesday’s rematch with the Panthers proved to be a back and forth game with several lead changes.  The Wolfpack drew first blood in the bottom of the 1^st, as 4 hits produced 2 runs, taking a 2-0 lead.  The Panthers tied the score in the top of the 3^rd , and Cordova retook the lead in the bottom of the inning.  Travis Calvi started things off with a solid hit to left-field and Kirk Hall pushed him to 2^nd with a single.  A wild pitch advanced both runners and a sacrifice fly by Michael Pinkston scored Calvi, for a 3-2 lead.  

The 4^th was a big inning for both squads.  Bartlett scored 5 runs off of 2 hits, 2 walks and a hit bastsman, with 3 of the runs coming off a home run by Chris South.  Cordova came to the plate in the bottom of the 4^th trailing 3-7.  Hall doubled to start the inning, followed by singles by Anthony and Michael Pinkston, and an 2 RBI single by Ephraim McCleary.  The inning produced 3 Wolfpack runs to put Cordova 1 mark off the pace, at 6-7. 

Bartlett added 2 runs in the 7^th off of a hit and an error, to run the score to 6-9.  Cordova was unable to get their bats going in the bottom of the 7^th, taking a 6-9 loss. 

Freshman LHP Nathan Baker got his 3 start of the season.  He returned to the mound on 3 days rest register his first loss of the year (2-1).  Jay Hollenbeck relieved Baker in the 4^th and pitched 3 1/3 innings.

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Cordova downs Bartlett 6-3 

A warm day gave way to a cool evening, as Cordova faced Bartlett in a pivotal district match up, Monday night, but the Wolfpack did not let the temperature change cool off their bats, as they out hit the Panthers 11-4 in a 6-3 win.  The victory was a total team effort.  Great pitching, hard hitting (5 doubles) and solid fielding, came together to make the win possible. 

Travis Mathews pitched 5 innings of shut out baseball against the offensive minded Panthers, striking out 8.  A lead off hit in the 6^th followed by a hit batsman and a walk, set the table for Bartlett to attempt to rally against Cordova’s 4-0 lead.  Bartlett’s Chase Hardin hit a ball to center-field that barley cleared the glove of the fielder, driving in 2 runs.  This was followed by an error that allowed another run to score, bringing the tally to 4-3.  With no outs, and runners at the corners, Anthony Albonetti entered the game to shut down the Panthers.  He struck out the first batter he faced for out number one.  After hitting the next batter to load the bases, the following batter  popped up to the catcher, Brandon Badgett, who made a super play for out 2.  Albonetti coaxed a ground ball out of the next Bartlett batter for the 3^rd out of the inning.  

Philip Gibson got Cordova on the board first in the game, when he hit a double to left-field.  Kirk Hall drove him in with a single, and later came home when Brett Jenne doubled to right-field.  Badgett’s sacrifice fly brought Jenne home for a 3-0 lead in the 3^rd inning.  Badgett added a run to the tally in the 5^th after doubling to center-field.  A passed ball and a wild pitch allowed Travis Calvi (running for Badgett) to score, for a 4-0 advantage. 

With the score 4-3 in the top of the 7^th, Jenne got his 3^rd hit of the game to start the inning.  Jenne stole 2^nd, and with 2 outs, Mark Foster doubled to right-field to score Jenne.  Foster came home with Ephraim McCleary’s single to right-field for a 6-3 lead. Albonetti came back out to the mound in the 7^th, striking out 2 to close the game and earn the save.

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Cordova Crowned Champions of Millington Invitational Tournament 

The Wolfpack went 4-0 to win the Millington Invitational Tournament at USA Stadium over the Easter weekend.  Cordova advanced to the championship game against Lebanon HS by going undefeated in pool play, beating SBA, Lone Oak (KY) and Millington. 

The championship game was scoreless until the bottom of the 3^rd when Cordova manufactured a run.  Philip Gibson singled to right field to lead off the inning.  Kirk Hall singled through the SS gap to push Gibson to 2^nd base, then Anthony Pinkston laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Gibson and Hall.  Gibson came home on a sacrifice fly by Brett Jenne, to put the Wolves in the lead 1-0. 

Cordova added a second run in the 4^th, then the Lebanon Blue Devils gave the Wolfpack a scare in the 5^th as they scored 4 runs off of 5 errors, a walk and a hit, taking a momentary lead 2-4.  The Wolves retook the lead in the bottom of the 5^th, as 5 hits produced 5 runs.  Brandon Badgett and Ephraim McCleary each had a double in the inning. Final score: Cordova 7, Lebanon 4.

Jake Sluder came in to close the game in the 6^th and 7^th innings for the save.  Markel Polk pushed his record to 4-1 with the win, striking out 5 while allowing just 2 hits in the contest. 

Cordova capped off a week that saw them win 6 games in as many days to boost their record to 18-8-1. 

The Cordova pitchers, Anthony Albonetti, Nathan Baker, Garrett Hachtel, Jay Hollenbeck Markel Polk and Jake Sluder, had a combined ERA of just 1.07 for the tournament, with an 8:3 strikeout to walk ratio.  Brett Jenne continued to have a hot bat, hitting .545 for the tournament with a slugging percentage of 1.000.  Brandon Badgett hit .444 with a .556 slugging percentage and Julian Henson came in with an average of .429 for the tournament.  Philip Gibson continued to hit well registering a .417 BA and Michael Pinkston batted .357 with a slugging average of .643 in the series.
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Cordova evens district record at 3-3 with win over Millington

While some people were frantically completing their tax returns, others were enjoying a great night of baseball at USA Stadium, in Millington, as the Cordova Wolves and the Millington Trojans faced off on Tuesday, April 15th.  Cordova walked away with a 7-0 victory behind a 2 hit – shut out pitching performance by Junior right-hander Travis Mathews.  Mathews struck out 7 and did not have a Trojan base runner advance past 1B. 

The Wolves had red hot bats in the outing, registering 12 hits, including 3 doubles.  Cordova had 5 players with  a multiple hit night; Brett Jenne had 3 hits, and Kirk Hall, Anthony Pinkston, Michael Pinkston and Brandon Badgett all had 2 hits in the win.

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Cordova beats Millington 5-2

A good crowd showed for the district match-up between Cordova and the Millington Trojans Monday night.  They were all treated to an exciting close game.  Cordova scored in only one inning, but the 5 runs they put on the board in the 2^nd  were enough to carry the win.  Senior RHP Jake Sluder pitched an excellent game, registering 5 timely strike-outs and keeping the Trojan batters at bay with good pitch selections.  Senior Anthony Albonetti came in to close in the 7^{th ,}  striking out 2 of the 3 batters he faced, earning the save, and preserving a 5-2 victory for the Wolfpack.

 Millington’s Junior hurler Joey Courtney pitched a good game, but his 4 hits, 2 walks and a hit batsman in the 2^nd was his downfall.  Cordova was able to only scatter 5 hits over the remaining 5 innings of play.  Senior C Brandon Badgett was 2 of 3 from the plate with an RBI, and Junior SS Mark Foster was 2 of 4 with an RBI, in the contest.

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Cordova downs ECS 10-5

The Wolves got back on the winning track with a 10-5 win over the ECS Eagles Saturday, under sunny skies.  Freshman Nathan Baker, a hard throwing lefty, picked up his first varsity win of the season.  Baker was relieved in the 7^th inning, with the bases loaded and no outs, by Senior RHP Anthony Albonetti.  Albonetti quickly coaxed the Saints batsmen into a couple of ground balls to end the inning, the threat and the game. 

Junior SS Mark Foster was up to the task Saturday, as he went 3 for 3 from the plate with a single, double and triple.  He scored a run and had 2 RBI.  Senior Anthony Pinkston also had 3 hits with a double.  Kirk Hall, Brett Jenne and Jeremy Waters all added to the winning effort with 2 hit outings.

 Senior OF Michael Pinkston had a good game defensively, as he snagged 5 fly balls for outs from his right field position.

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Houston slaughters Cordova in rematch

Poor fielding and no offense earned Cordova a loss in a slaughter rule shortened game against Houston.  Tyler Watson pitched a 2 hit shut out for the Houston Mustangs.  

Markel Polk entered the contest 3-0, with a 0.00 ERA in over 14 innings pitched, but fell prey to the hard hitting Mustangs who hit the long ball, bunted, stole bases and capitalized on Cordova errors, to hand him his first loss of the season.  Houston jumped out to a 0-2 advantage in the 1^st inning and continued to build on their lead throughout their remaining 3 at bats.  The “nail in the coffin” came in the 3^rd inning, in the form of a 3 run yak to left-center field by DH John Lalor, to put the Mustangs ahead 0-7.  Houston would go on to win 0-11 in 5 innings. 

Garrett Hachtel entered the game in relief, with no outs in the 4^th.  He faced 4 batters, striking out 2, to end the bleeding. 

The defensive play of the game went to Mark Foster.  He registered an unassisted double play in the 1^st inning, as he snagged a line drive, then scrambled to tag the runner attempting to dive back to the 2B bag. 

Cordova’s 2 hits went to Senior 1B Justin Harris and Sophomore C Julian Henson.

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Cordova drops district game to Bolton

Cold and gusting winds greeted the ball players and fans alike Tuesday, as Cordova took on the Bolton Wildcats in a district contest.  Bolton walked away with the victory as Cordova continued to be plagued by poor defense.  The Wolves out hit the Wildcats 7 to 4, but the Wolves committed 7 errors to the Wildcats none.  

Cordova’s starter, Junior RHP Travis Mathews, had an uncharacteristic high number of walks in the game, giving 6 Wildcats free passes.  The game was still in reach entering the 6^th with the score 1-4.  The cold and a high pitch count were taking their toll on the starter, but he remained on the mound as a hit, 2 errors, 2 walks, and a hit batsman, ballooned the score to 1-8.  Senior RHP Anthony Albonetti relieved Mathews with 2 outs and quickly got out of the inning.  Albonetti came back out in the 7^th to sandwich a Cordova error between 3 strike outs, to make fast work of the inning. 

The defensive highlight of the game came in the 5^th inning, as Senior OF Michael Pinkston made a great double play by snagging a line shot to right field, then throwing back to 1B.  The throw beating a Wildcat baserunner, who has caught too far off the bag, to the base for the second out. 

Seniors Anthony Pinkston and Justin Harris each had 2 hits and a RBI in the loss.  Brett Jenne, Michael Pinkston and Mark Foster accounted for the remainder of Cordova’s hits. 

Though Cordova’s pitching staff carries a 2.60 ERA, with opponents hitting just .201 collectively against them, and the Wolfpack’s offense hitting a respectable .309, their defense has committed more errors than the opponent in 5 of their last 6 games.  Over the 6 game stretch, the Wolves have committed 27 errors to their opponents 10, and here lies the bulk of the losing streak, untimely errors.  Hopefully the players will take some extra fielding practice in the coming days to work the bugs out of their fielding and throwing techniques, and get back to their early season winning ways.

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Cordova gets back on winning track with 10-5 win over Millington 

RHP Jake Sluder had 12 strike-outs to get Cordova back into the win column Saturday, as the Wolfpack recorded a 10-5 win over Millington.  All the outs in the game came either as strike outs or fly outs. 

Cordova out hit Millington 11 hits to 10 in the victory.  Kirk Hall and Brett Jenne both had triples in the game, while Anthony Pinkston and Ephraim McCleary each doubled.  Hall’s bat was hot going 3 for 4 from the plate.  Jenne continued to sizzle with a 3 for 3 performance, and Julian Henson was 2 for 2.

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Fans get their monies worth as Cordova loses close game to CBHS.

After beating CBHS in 4 previous ‘unofficial’ games over the pre-season and season, Cordova finally met the Purple Wave in what would become the first official meeting of the year Thursday night.  Cordova led CBHS by a score of 8-0 through 2 innings in the Best of the West Tournament last week, but the game was suspended due to rain, and not made up. 

The Purple Wave placed their #1 pitcher, Chase Carpenter, on the mound to face Cordova Senior hurler RHP Anthony Albonetti.  Albonetti had the best of Carpenter through the first 4 innings, pitching shut-out ball.  Cordova led 3-0 entering the bottom of the 5^th when the game took a decisive turn.  CBHS strung together a double, single and triple, with 1 out, to bring the score to 3-2.  Albonetti was replaced by Junior RHP Jay Hollenbeck, who immediately got the 2^nd out of the inning by snagging a line drive back to the mound.  He then allowed 3 singles before the final out of the inning to bring the score to 3-5. 

Cordova did not give up, they came back in the 6^th to tie the score 5-5.  Seniors Brandon Badgett and Justin Harris both singled to left field, and with 1 away, Senior Markel Polk drove in Badgett with a single to right field.  With 2 outs Senior Zach Zimmerman scored Harris with a single to right field.  Harris charging home, made a great slide and reached back to tag the plate to score the tying run.  Carpenter was ready to come out of the game and kept looking to the Purple Wave dug out, but the coaches left him in.  Two batters later he was out of the inning, and it was a new ball game, as the score stood at 5-5. 

Logan Forsythe quickly put the Purple Wave back in the lead, as he smacked the 1^st pitch of the 6^th inning over the fence for a solo home run.  The next 3 batters fielded out to end the inning 5-6.

 This set up a tense 7^th, and final inning, to the contest.  Junior DH Brett Jenne led off the 7^th with a triple to center-field and with 2 outs Harris got a hit to score Jenne, tying the game 6-6.

 A CBHS batter popped out to 1B to start the bottom of the 7^th.  Then disaster struck for the Wolves, as John Morgan’s hit ricochet off of Hollenbecks shin for a base hit.  Hollenbeck was unable to continue and left the game.  The speedy Morgan stood on 1B as the potential go-ahead run, as Senior RHP Jake Sluder took the mound for Cordova in this pressure packed situation.  Morgan stole 2^nd and Finney reached base on a walk.  Vanaman flied out to shallow right-field, and RF Harris was able to hold Morgan from advancing.  

Runners now stood on 1^st and 2^nd with 2 outs, as the Purple Wave clean-up hitter Riley came to the plate.  Sluder got him to pop up on a 2-0 count for what looked to be an easy out 3 for Cordova, but an error occurred to load the bases.  Forsyth, who had homered in the 6^th came up to bat with the bases loaded.  On a 1-1 count he basted a base hit through the 2^nd base gap to drive in Morgan, registering the game winning RBI.  Cordova had lost a hard fought game 6-7, giving the spectators their monies worth, by giving their all in the game.

 Justin Harris, getting his first start of the season in the out field, took advantage of his opportunity by going 3 for 4 from the plate with a RBI.  Markel Polk, in just his 4^th non-pitching start, was a perfect 3 for 3 with 2 RBI.  Zach Zimmerman went 2 for 3 with 2 RBI. These three seniors accounted for 8 of Cordova’s 12 hits in the game.  Kirk Hall, Anthony Pinkston, Brett Jenne and Brandon Badgett also had hits in the loss.

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Munford evens score at 1-1

Tuesday’s rematch between Cordova and Munford had a festive atmosphere, with a large crowd, both in and outside the ball park, watching the game.  The Cordova Diamond Girls even added to the atmosphere by treating the crowd to a ‘4^th inning stretch’ dance number.  All the hype and anticipation proved to be well warranted, as the two teams battled throughout the contest, with the final result being an 0-2 win for Munford.

Munford’s Senor RHP Ken Ellis picked up the win.  He battled Cordova Junior RHP Travis Mathews inning for inning.  Though Mathews struck out more batters and allowed less hits, Ellis prevailed on the scoreboard.

Cordova registered 7 hits in the loss, with all but 1 of them coming with 2 outs in the inning.  They stranded 8 base runners in the game, with no Wolfpack runner advanced past 2B. Seniors Kirk Hall and Anthony Pinkston each had 2 hits.  Junior Ephraim McCleary doubled, and Junior Mark Foster and Senior Brandon Badgett singled, accounting for the remainder of the Wolfpack hits.

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Wolves down Cougars in district opener 4-2

It was a classic battle between canine and feline, both having sharp fangs and claws, but the Wolves fangs and claws proved to be a little longer and a little sharper, as Cordova scratched out a 4-2 win over the Munford Cougars, in this season’s district opener. 

Junior LHP Brett Jenne pitched a no-hitter in the victory.  He accomplished this while going against area ace, Munford RHP, Clint Arthur.  Arthur pitched a good game in his own right, but it could not compare to the outing Jenne had.  Jenne was able to push his record to 2-0 with this win.  He has amassed 31 strike-outs in just 17 2/3 innings on the mound. 

Cordova out hit Munford 5-0, with the bottom half of the order doing most of the damage.  Entering the 3^rd inning Cordova trailed 0-2.  Munford had capitalized off of a lead-off walk and a couple of errors to score first.  Cordova got things started in the 3^rd when Junior 1B Ephraim McCleary singled to CF and took 2^nd when the outfielder bobbled the baseball.  He was followed by Junior OF Travis Calvi, who ripped a double to the right-center wall, scoring McCleary.  Calvi scored later in the inning when Senior OF Anthony Pinkston reached on a fielding error, tying the score 2-2.

 The Cougars had a chance to regain the lead in the bottom of the 3^rd when, with a runner on 3^rd, a wild pitch got passed Cordova Senior C Brandon Badgett.  Badgett scrambled back to the screen and rifled the ball to Jenne, who was covering the plate, for the tag out to end the inning.  Munford never threaten again in the game.

 The Wolves took the lead in the 6^th when Jenne blasted a double to left field.  Senior OF Michael Pinkston reached base by HBP, and Badgett advanced the runners with a SAC Bunt.  Then courtesy runner, Senior Justin Harris, stole home in a busted pick-off attempt, for the go ahead run.  Junior SS Mark Foster then singled to drive in Pinkston for a 4-2 lead.

 The Cougars came to bat in the bottom of the 7^th, in a do-or-die situation.  Their lead-off batter reached base with a walk, but the following batter smacked a grounder to Foster at SS who turned a 6-4-3 (Foster, Hall, McCleary) double play.  The next Cougar batter, popped up to Senior 2B Kirk Hall to end the game, and preserve a no-hitter for Jenne. 

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Best of the West Tournament

Due to poor weather, Cordova was able to complete just 3 of their allotted 4 games in the Best of the West Tournament played in Tipton Co.  Briarcrest, Brighton and Little Rock Catholic fell to the Wolves.  CBHS was granted mercy by ‘mother nature’ by earning a rain out in Friday’s game, while trailing the Wolves 8-0. 

In Saturday’s games, Cordova starting pitching of Seniors Anthony Albonetti and Markel Polk both had complete game, 1 hit – shut outs.  Sophomore Julian Henson had a good day at the plate, going 3 for 5 and scoring 4 runs with 4 RBI. Junior Brett Jenne was 4 of 5 with 3 runs scored, and Junior Mark Foster was 4 of 6 with 4 RBI on the day. 

Friday’s game against CBHS got started under gray skies that eventually gave way to drizzling rain.  Cordova jumped out to a 8-0 lead after 2 complete innings, but the field was deemed too muddy to continue, resulting in a suspended game that will probably never be made-up.  The Wolfpack produced 7 hits in two at-bats and looked to be geared up for a big day at the plate.  Senior LHP Justin Harris allowed just one hit by a Purple Wave batsman and had already tallied 3 K’s in his two innings on the mound.  

The real test for Cordova baseball will come next week as they open district play against last seasons district tournament champs, the Munford Cougars.  Here’s hoping the pitching and hitting displayed thus far continues.
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Cordova squeaks by Briarcrest Saints for 3-2 win

Pitching wasn’t quite up to par, batters timing was split second off, and the fielding was an inch off center, but the Cordova Wolves performed well enough to grab their 7^th win, beating the Briarcrest Saints 3-2 in the Best of the West Tournament.  The wind was gusting toward left-centerfield, negating a lot of the pitchers speed, and causing the ball to keep the fielders guessing.  Everyone feared that with the strong wind blowing out to left-center there might be some long balls hit.  That wasn’t the case, as few balls made it out of the infield.  Briarcrest Junior RHP Josh Germany gave up 3 runs early, then shut Cordova hitting down for the last 4 innings.  Junior RHP Travis Mathews, for Cordova, was able to pitch out of some early jams, aided by 2 double plays, to scatter 4 hits over 5 1/3 innings for the win.  Junior RHP Jay Hollenbeck entered the game in the 6^th with the bases load and 1 out, to protect the lead, and register his 2^nd save of the season. 

Senior OF Michael Pinkston had the lone RBI for the Wolfpack in the contest, as he put Cordova on the board in the 1^st inning with a hit to right-field that drove in Junior OF Brett Jenne.  Seniors Kirk Hall, Brandon Badgett and Markel Polk were the only other players to record a hit in the game. 

Junior SS Mark Foster showed his range, with an inning ending diving catch in the 2^nd.  This came on the heels of a 5-2-3 (Zimmerman-Badgett-Polk) double-play with bases loaded.  The 3^rd inning was also ended with a flair, as Senior 3B Zach Zimmerman again initiated a double play, this time going 5-4-3 (Zimmerman, Hall, Polk).

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Cordova wins 5-1 against rival Houston

Brett Jenne, Brett Jenne, Brett Jenne.  For those who attended the game, need I say more?  Junior LHP Brett Jenne showed star quality Saturday as he almost single handedly defeated the pre-season #1 ranked team in the state of Tennessee, the Houston Mustangs.  Jenne led Cordova to the victory by accounting for 16 of the 21 outs in the game by strike-outs.  He also aided his cause at the plate by going 2 for 3, with 3 RBI, a double and scored a run.

 Cordova played a flawless game in the field, executing each play effortlessly.  Few balls were hit on the ground, leading to just 2 defensive assist being registered by the Wolves.

 Offensively Senior OF Anthony Pinkston recorded a 3-2-2 line.  Seniors Michael Pinkston, Kirk Hall, Brandon Badgett and Zach Zimmerman also had timely hits in the win.  All 8 Cordova hits came off of Houston's highly touted Junior RHP John Lalor.

 Cordova will get a couple of days R & R following a run of 6 games in 6 days.  They will return to the field on Tuesday to play White Station in a JV/Varsity double header.

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Cordova slaughter Warriors 12-0

The Wolves of Cordova continued to howl like the big dawgs they are, Friday night, as they bettered their season record to 5-1-1 by defeating the Hunters Lane Warriors 12-0.  The Warriors, who boast at having one of the top ranked outfielders in the state, could do little against Senior RHP Markel Polk, or his relief, Freshman LHP Nathan Baker, as the two pitchers combined efforts in this shut-out.  Polk and Baker struck out 8 Warrior batters while allowing just 2 hits on the evening. 

This 5 inning, slaughter rule shortened game, did not give the Cordova batters many trips to the plate, and Coach Blythe substituted freely, allowing 13 Wolfpack batters opportunities at bat.  Junior SS Mark Foster led the way for Cordova with 2 hits and 2 RBI.  Sophmore 2B Philip Gibson took advantage of his opportunity to get some varsity swings in, by ripping a double to CF, earning an RBI and scoring a run.  Senior Brandon Badgett continued to shine at the plate with a double to left-field and 3 RBI.

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Wolves decapitate Buccaneers 15-6

The Wolves decapitated the Buccaneers of Beech HS in the closing innings of Thursday’s game, scoring 9 runs in two innings, breaking a 6-6 tie, for a 15-6 victory.  Senior LHP Justin Harris saw his first action of the season, pitching in relief of starting RHP Anthony Albonetti.  Harris struck out 5 Buccaneers in his 3 inning outing, and earned the win, boosting Cordova’s record to 4-1-1.

Cordova continued to hit the ball well, recording their 3^rd double digit hit game of the season.  SS Mark Foster had 2 doubles and a single in his 4 official at bats, and earned 3 RBI in the game. OF Anthony Pinkston, DH Ephraim McCleary and OF Travis Calvi also had multiple hits in the contest.  OF Brett Jenne smacked an RBI triple in his first at-bat, earning the respect of the opposing team’s coach.  From there on out he drew walks (3 in all, 2 intentional).

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Wolves battle back to tie Indians 6-6

The wind was blowing in hard from center field Wednesday,  at Millington’s USA Stadium, keeping the long ball in check.  But it didn’t hamper Cordova’s ability to lay wood on the ball, as the Wolfpack registered a season high 13 hits, on their way to a 6-6 tie with the Jackson Northside Indians.

Cordova’s offensive surge was led by Brett Jenne (3-4), Anthony Pinkston (3-5),  Kirk Hall (2-4), Zach Zimmerman (2-4) and Mark Foster (2-4), each recording multiple hits.  The Wolfpack inflected most of the damage in the second half of the ball game.  During the first 4 innings, Cordova was only able to muster 2 hits, as they fell behind 0-5 going into the bottom of the 5^th inning. 

 Zimmerman put Cordova on the board in the bottom of the 5^th,  with a RBI double scoring Foster.  Hall followed ‘Z’ in the line-up, ripping a 2 RBI single to score both Henson and Zimmerman.  The Indians came back to add another run in the top of the 6^th.  Cordova got 3 hits in the bottom of the 6^th but scored no runs, primarily due to poor baserunning.

 In the bottom of the 7^th, with the score standing at 3-6, the Wolves dug in for their last at bat.  Zimmerman led off with a single through the gap at SS, but was later caught stealing 2^nd.  Hall single to CF, and was followed by Anthony Pinkston’s single down the 3^rd base line.  Badgett then drove in Hall and Jenne brought Pinkston home with a single, upping the tally to 5-6 with 1 out.  Ephraim McCleary walked and Foster RBI’ed to tie the game off of a fielders choice to 2B, scoring Badgett.  There the magic ended as the next batter flew out to CF, stranding runners on the corners.

 Jay Hollenbeck, pitching in relief, easily sat down Jackson Northside in the 8^th.  The tournament allowed just one extra inning to break a tie score, so Cordova came to the plate for it’s final at bat.  The Wolves were able to get two runners on base, but couldn’t score, leaving the game tied 6-6.

 The Wolfpack should be commended for their “never say die” attitude, coming back from a 0-5 deficit to tie the game and place themselves in a situation to win the game in extra innings.  If the game had continued, there was no doubt that the momentum of the final innings would have propelled Cordova to a victory.

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Wolves Slay Collierville Dragons 4-1

Short but sweet, that is how Tuesdays game against the Collierville Dragons could be described.  The game took less than an hour and a half to play, as opposing pitchers took turns mowing down batters.  Cordova’s Junior RHP Travis Mathews recorded 12 strike-outs and Collierville’s LHP Jonathan Stambough had 7 K’s in the contest.  Mathews prevailed in this pitchers dual, aided by four timely hits, that achieved 4 RBI, as the Wolves beat the Dragons 4-1.

Collierville got on the board first, scoring a run in the 3^rd, but Cordova came right back in the 4^th and tied the game 1-1 off of an RBI single by Senior C Brandon Badgett.  Cordova took the lead in the 4^th.  Senior 3B Zach Zimmerman got a 1 out hit to CF, Junior 1B Jeremy Waters followed with a base on balls, then Junior CF Travis Calvi loaded the bases with a single toward 3^rd .  Senior 2B Kirk Hall earned the go ahead RBI with a HBP scoring Zimmerman.  Senior outfielders Anthony and Michael Pinkston followed with RBI’s making the score 4-1.

The Dragons attempted to rally in the 6^th.  Their first two batters of the inning reached base with dribblers down the 3B line.  After stealing base, the Collierville runners stood in scoring position at 2^nd and 3^rd.  Mathews struck out the next two Dragon batsmen, then a fluke play occurred.  Strahorn, the Collierville batter, blasted an 0-1 pitch off of the pitcher Mathews shin, Zimmerman, charging from 3B, pick-up the ricochet and threw out Strahorn at 1B to end the inning and any attempt of Collierville comeback.

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Wolfpack earns season's first loss at hands of Red Devils 7-8

The Wolves of Cordova matched baseball skills with the Red Devils of Germantown in the misting rain Monday night.  Germantown would need some last minute heroics to prevail over Cordova, as they manufactured a run in the bottom of the 7^th for a 7-8 win.  

G’town got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the 1^st when the lead off batter drew a base on balls, took 2^nd on a passed ball, stole 3^rd and came home on a error attempting to catch him stealing 3^rd.  Cordova came back to tie the game in the top of the 3^rd . 

G’town regained the lead in the 4^th,  as Preston Burleson singled with the bases loaded and two outs, to drive in two runs.  His hit was followed by another 2 run single from Mauesich, who scored later in the inning from 2B on a passed ball, driving the score up to 1-6.  The Red Devils added another run in the 5^th to make the score 1-7. 

Senior IF Kirk Hall smashed a line drive off of the leg of the Red Devil pitcher Newsom to start the 6^th inning.  Newsom was replaced on the mound by Moffitt who had a terrible inning, walking 4, hitting a batter, and giving up a 2 RBI double to Cordova’s Senior C Brandon Badgett, to bring the score to 6-7. 

After a lead-off hit to start the 6^th, Junior RHP Jay Hollenbeck, pitching in relief, struck out the next batter, and Calvi made 2 plays in CF to end the inning and keep Cordova within striking distance.  His diving catch in shallow CF registered the 3^rd out and stranded a G’town base runner on 2^nd base. 

The rain stopped for the 7^th inning.  With 1 out, Senior OF Michael Pinkston drew a walk on a full count, and with 2 outs, Badgett got his third hit of the game to drive home Pinkston, tying the game 7-7.

 With new life the Wolfpack took the field in the bottom of the 7^th and final inning.  Hollenbeck who had entered the game in relief of starting pitcher, Junior Brett Jenne, had done a great job getting Cordova out of a tight spot in the 4^th inning, and had pitched consistently in the 5^th and 6^th innings.  The inning started with a first pitch grounder to Junior SS Mark Foster, who scoped the ball and fired it the 1^st base, for out #1.  The next G’town batter ripped a 0-2 pitch up the middle for a single.  He then stole 2^nd and took 3^rd on a called baulk.  The count stood at 2-1 when, with 1 out, the 9 hole hitter, looped a sacrifice fly ball to RF, driving in the winning run. 

Jenne and Hollenbeck combined to strike out 9 Red Devil batters while giving up 7 hits.  Cordova mustered 6 hits in the contest, led by Badgett’s 3 hit, 3 RBI effort.  Hall was also noteworthy with his 4-2-1 offensive numbers.

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Wolves pluck ECS Eagles 9-4

 Seniors Markel Polk and Anthony Albonetti teamed up to pitch a good game against the ECS Eagles, allowing just 3 hits on the way to a 9-4 victory.  Polk SO 5 Eagle batters in his 3 1/3 innings on the mound.

 Junior 1B Ephraim McCleary was 3 for 3, with a double, in his first start of the season.  Senior 2B Kirk Hall line read 3-2-2 and Senior OF Michael Pinkston did a lot to catch up to his brother Anthony’s quick start with 2 hits in 4 plate appearances, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBI.  On the day, Cordova had 5 doubles scattered throughout their 12 hits.

 Though ECS struggled with “near errors” throughout the game, Cordova marked more “real” errors in the book.  The Wolves were a little rusty in the game, committing 6 errors in the contest.  As the season progresses and the players get more opportunities to field and throw, the rust will wear away and the team’s defense will improve.

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Cordova wins season opener 9-3.

The 2003 baseball season opened under sunny skies and a brisk breeze yesterday, as the Cordova Wolves beat Fairley by a score of 9-3.  Fairley, a much improved team from last season, was plagued with throwing errors throughout the contest, amassing 6 errors in their 6 innings in the field.  Three of those errors in the 3^rd inning provided Cordova with the opportunity to score 3 runs off of 1 hit to take the lead 4-2 in the bottom of the that inning.  Cordova was able to hang on to the lead for the remainder of the game, adding 5 more runs in the 6^th off of the tired but determined Fairley pitcher, Johnson.  Entering the 6^th inning, Johnson had thrown in excess of 80 pitches and was visibly tiring, but his coach elected to allow him to finish out the game, and throw an additional 35 pitches in the inning, to register 118 pitches in the season opener.

 Cordova’s coaching staff showed better judgment pulling the Wolfpack’s starting pitcher, Sophomore right-hander Garrett Hachtel, in the 5^th inning with 2 outs, when his pitch count got high (88) and he began to wear down.  Junior RHP Jay Hollenbeck entered the game with the potential tying run on first.  Sophomore C Julian Henson ended the scoring threat by gunning down the Fairley base-runner, attempting to steal second, for the 3^rd out in the inning.  Hollenbeck went on to pitch shutout ball for the remaining 2 innings and register the save to Hachtel’s win.

 Offensively Cordova out hit Fairley 8 to 4, with Senior OF Anthony Pinkston extending his batting streak from pre-season, to go 2 of 3, scoring 2 runs.  Junior OF Brett Jenne also showed skill with the bat hitting 2 for 3 with a double, a run and an RBI.

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Wolfpack remains unbeaten in preseason play.

Cordova extended their preseason unbeaten streak to 4 games Friday, as they beat the ECS Eagles 10-0.  Senior Jake Sluder and Junior Travis Mathews combined for a 2 hit shut-out.

 The Wolves out hit the Eagles 9 to 2 in the contest.  Senior OF Anthony Pinkston had a perfect 2-2-2 line, and increased his preseason average to .750 (6 of 8).  Senior IF Zach Zimmerman continued to hit the ball well going 2 for 4 with 3 RBI’s in the game. His preseason average stands at .444 (4 of 9) after the 4 game stretch.  Also noteworthy is Sophomore C Julian Henson, who is 4 of 9 in the series (.444).

 The regular season begins Monday, with Fairley HS visiting at 4p
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Three-peat!   

The wind and the Wolves were howling Wednesday afternoon, as the Cordova Wolves swept Christian Brothers in their three game pre-season series.  The weather turned cold, windy and wet, as the game progressed, but the weather did not deter the ball players from their mission of “three-peating” over the Purple Wave, as they won the contest 4-3. 

Sophomores Garrett Hachtel and Caleb McElveen pitched the bulk of the game, with Junior Jay Hollenbeck achieving the final two outs of the contest and the save.  Wolfpack pitching held CBHS to just 4 hits and 2 runs for the afternoon. 

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Lighting Strikes Twice.
Cordova showed that their preseason victory over the Purple Wave of CBHS was no fluke yesterday, as they returned to the Walnut Grove venue and soundly beat CBHS again, by a score of 9-4. 

After a shaky start, Cordova pitching settled down to limit CBHS to just 2 hits in the contest.  Junior Brett Jenne and Seniors Markel Polk and Anthony Albonetti combined to SO 9 Purple Wave batsmen.  Polk looked outstanding in his first mound appearance since sustaining an arm injury a year ago at the same venue, striking out 4 over his 3 innings of work. 

Senior C Brandon Badgett showed his baseball savvy on the ending play of the game.  Forsythe,  the CBHS base-runner, had ventured too far off of 2B.  Instead of attempting to throw back to 2B and get Forsythe in a pickle, Badgett ran directly at the CBHS base-runner, freezing him, and allowing for a easy tag-out to end the game.

Junior SS Mark Foster was a difference maker at the plate, as he was 2 of 4 with 3 RBI’s and scored 2 runs. Foster put the Wolfpack in the lead, in the top of the 3^rd, when he smacked a pitch to the left-field wall for a stand-up triple, driving in 3 runs.  Badgett was 2 for 2 with a double in the game.  Cordova out hit CBHS 8 to 2. 
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Baseball is back!
For a team whose pre-season has been limited to taking infield in the gym and on the parking lot, the Cordova Wolves played well in their pre-season opener.  Behind the strong pitching of Juniors Travis Mathews and Jay Hollenbeck, and Senior Jake Sluder, the Wolves soundly defeated CBHS 10-1, while holding them to just 5 hits for the afternoon.  Mathews started the game and amassed 6 SO in his 3 inning outing.  

A majority of the team saw playing time in the pre-season opener.  Senior Zach Zimmerman was 2 for 3, with a double, as the starting 3B, and Junior RF Brett Jenne’s line read a perfect 2-2-2, with a triple and 2 RBI’s.  Sophomore Julian Henson was 2 for 3, with 3 RBI’s and a SAC FLY while spending time in both the DH and C positions, and Senior CF Anthony Pinkston reached base in all 4 of his trips to the plate, twice with hits and twice by HBP. 

Defense was led by two outstanding relay plays originating in CF and ending with put-out at 3B. The 3^rd inning ended with a ball hit to CF.  Pinkston rifled the ball to SS Mark Foster, who relayed the ball to Zimmerman, where he and C Brandon Badgett tied up the Purple Wave’s Vanaman in a run down.  In the 5^th, Vanaman again was the victim of a well executed relay, as he was tagged out at 3B trying to stretch a double into a triple.   

Coach Blythe should be pleasantly pleased with the performance of the team, after all the bad weather and limited practice opportunities.  Cordova will hit the field again today at 4p in a rematch with CBHS.  Here’s hoping the result will remain the same over the preseason TBCA statewide #3 pick,  CBHS.
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