Cordova Baseball Game Summaries

Season Opener Nets Wolves Big Win (3/15)
Chargers Tromp Wolves 9-4 (3-16)
Wolves Slay Dragons [3/18]
Cordova takes Bites out of Bulldogs [3/19]
Saints Fall to Wolfpack [3/22]
Wolves Pluck Owls in Lewis Harris Tourny [3/23] 
Collierville Steals Win [3/24]
Mustangs early lead hold against the Wolves [3/26]
Wolves Fall to Dragons in Rubber Match [3/31]
Cordova Wins District Opener [4/5]
Cordova Splits With Bolton [4/6]
USA Classic Produces Nail-Biters [4/7-4/9] 
Cordova’s offensive slump continues [4/14]
Cordova wins tournament opener over White Station [4/15]
Cordova evens Pepsi Challenge record [4/16]
Yarbrough pitches Cordova to win [4/16B]
Wolfpack falls in extra inning game [4/17]
Wolfpack evens district record at 2-2 [4/19]
Cordova sweeps Millington in district play [4/20]
Cordova drops district game to Bartlett [4/26]
Shut out turns into rout in 7th  [4/27] 
Cordova corrals Mustangs in 8-6 win [5/3]
District 14-AAA Tournament Update [5/6-5/10] 
Too Many Heroes to Mention! Cordova Beats Bartlett to Advance. [5/11A]
Wolves Out Claw Cougars to 5-3 win [5/11]

Season Opener Nets Wolves Big Win (3/15)

The highly anticipated day had arrived. Though the sky was overcast and there was a moist nip in the air, nothing could dampen the excitement and eagerness of opening day. The coaches went over their line-up and game plan, the pitchers and catchers went over their signals one last time in the bull pen, and the batters loosened up with their aluminum sticks. The crowd filed in toting lawn chairs and blankets, wearing jackets and carrying umbrellas, and greeted each other with excited chatter about the days game. Familiar faces in the line-up were augmented by a few newcomers as the Wolfpack took pre-game infield.

Cordova got the first crack at the scoreboard and Saint’s senior hurler Neal Shank, a skilled left-hander who has signed with the University of Memphis. It didn’t take long to tally a run, as Sr. IF Ephraim McCleary drove a pitch to the wall scoring Julian Henson, to put the Wolves up 1-0.

With a one run lead the Wolves took the diamond with senior right-hander Travis Mathews on the mound. 1-2-3 down went the Briarcrest batsmen, as Mathews mixed his fastball and slider to baffle the Briarcrest hitters.

During the 4^th inning Cordova exploded offensively as they scored 4 runs off of 4 hits. Garrett Hachtel got things started with a single by the short-stop. Rocky Escejadillo followed suit with another single past the SS. Robbie Graham walked setting the stage for Mark Foster. With bases loaded Foster ripped a ball to the left side of the field scoring Hachtel and Rocky, then Julian Henson doubled to bring home Graham and Foster. This gave Cordova a commanding 5-0 lead. There was no looking back as the Wolves scored two runs in each of the three remaining innings, tallying a total of eleven hits, five of which were doubles, and erasing any fears that this squad would be challenged offensively. Final score: Cordova 11, Briarcrest 0.

Mathews would go on to pitch a complete game - two hit - shut out, aided by flawless defense. His no-hitter was derailed by the 16^th batter he faced, deep in the 5^th inning, when the Saint’s Tom Drake hit a single through the left infield gap. Defense was outstanding! Mark Foster made a series of great stops from his SS position. Travis Calvi snagged a deep fly ball on the warning track in RF, and Rocky Escajedillo made a diving catch in LF to keep Briarcrest, who return all but two players from last year’s squad that made a run to the semifinals of the state tournament, off of the basepaths.

What a great way to start the season!

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Chargers Tromp Wolves 9-4 (3-16)

The Chargers of Covington HS came to town Tuesday and tromped the Wolfpack 9-4. Returning just five starters from their 14-AA squad that went 23-10 last season, the visitors from the north brought plenty of fire power, both offensive and pitching, to handle the Wolves.

Cordova jumped out to an early lead when Fr. OF Robbie Graham earned an RBI walk with bases loaded, scoring Jr. 1B CJ McElveen, in the bottom of the 2^nd inning. The Wolves built on to the lead during the 3^rd inning. Jr. 2B Philip Gibson led off with a single and was followed by Jr. C Julian Henson’s RBI double, then McElveen’s sacrifice fly scored Henson to boost Cordova’s lead to 3-1.

Trouble began to brew in the 5^th as the Charger’s 1B Gabe Rivers took a pitch up around the shoulders and dialed long distance for a two run shot over the right-centerfield fence to temporarily tie the score 3-3.  Jr. P Garrett Hachtel, battled back getting the next three Covington batters out to end the inning.

The Wolves retook the lead in the bottom of the 5^th.   Henson singled, stole 2^nd, and took 3^rd on a baulk, then scored on a fly ball to right-field.

The game took a drastic turn in the 6^th inning. The temperature had continued to drop throughout the game and the wind was gusting up to 15 mph. Sr. P Jay Hollenbeck entered the game for Hachtel, and the Chargers seemed to have his number, as the first three Covington batters reached base on quirky hits… a swinging bunt that no-one could field, a Texas-leaguer to no-man’s land behind 2^nd base, and a ball the was fielded near 1^st base with no one in position to cover the bag. A sac-fly and a strike-out put Cordova in a good position to get out of the inning with minimal damage, but the next two Covington batters had solid hits and the third drew a walk to load the bases. Chargers 2B Michael David came to the plate and on a 1-0 pitch drove the ball to the centerfield wall, clearing the bases with a triple. Jr. P Andy Holt entered the game and got the next batter to ground out to 2B Gibson to end the inning. Covington’s six hits had produced six runs and given them a commanding 9-4 lead.

Covington starting pitcher Brad Williams 1eft the game in the 6^th and was replaced by the hard throwing Joe Freeman. The Wolves were 3 up and 3 down in the bottom of the 6^th. During the 7^th and final inning, the top of Cordova’s order was set to bat. Foster drew a walk and Ephraim McCleary reached on an error to position Wolfpack runners on the corners with two outs. McElveen came to the plate as Cordova’s last hope. On a 1-1 pitch he slammed the ball to deep CF. The crowed held their breath as the Covington CF sprinted for the wall. Just at the last moment he made a great catch, robbing McElveen of a HR, for the last out of the game. Though Cordova had battled at the plate, they came up short loosing to a valiant Covington team, 4-9, and evening their early season record at 1-1.

Henson had a noteworthy game. He hit the ball well, going 2 for 4, with a double and an RBI. He also threw out two base-runners attempting to steal 2^nd in the game. As a team Cordova registered 7 hits and committed 3 errors. Hachtel, Hollenbeck and Holt combined for 5 strike-outs.

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Wolves Slay Dragons [3/18]

The Wolfpack entered their third game of the season with much to prove. After a decisive victory over Briarcrest on opening day, the Wolves turned around and lost handily the following night to Covington. Now they faced the Collierville Dragons, last season’s District 15-AAA champs and a formidable opponent

On the mound for Cordova was Jr. Steven Yarbrough, a hard throwing lefty in his first varsity start. Would he be able to contain the hard hitting Dragons led by Sr. Zack Cozart and Jr. Mark Ashley? That question was soon answered, as in front of four professional baseball scouts Yarbrough pitched like a seasoned pro, allowing just three hits over six innings of pitching.

Though the Dragons jump out to first inning lead 1-0, the Wolfpack offense proved too great for Collierville, as Cordova pounded out nine hits, five of which were for extra bases, on their way to an 8-2 win. Collierville skipper and ex-U of M head coach Jeff Hopkins, tried everything he could to quite the Cordova bats, pulling starter Mark Ashby in the 4^th for Matt Yokley and finally placing their ace, Zack Cozart, on the mound in the 7^th. Try as he may, Hopkins was unsuccessful, as the Wolves proved that their opening day prowess with the bat was no fluke.

Cozart, an Ole Miss signee, had little success against Wolfpack pitching, as he went just 1 for 3, registering one of Collierville’s five hits in the game.

Defense was outstanding for the Wolves. Yarbrough kept the ball low in the strike zone enticing the Dragon batters to ground out throughout the contest. It was not until the sixth inning that a Collierville batter hit the ball to the outfield. The dragons grounded into three double plays. Sr. 3B Ephriam McCleary played the hot corner to perfection with five assist and a put-out, while participating in two of the double plays.

Sr. 1B Jeremy Waters made the most of his start going 2 for 3 from the plate, with an RBI, and accounting for 13 put outs and an assist from his 1B position. Sr. SS Mark Foster continued to hit the ball well, as did Jr. C Julian Henson. Each recorded two hits in the contest, Foster had two doubles and Henson had a triple, upping their power numbers to .636 and .900 respectively.

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Cordova takes Bites out of Bulldogs [3/19]

Cordova's Philip Gibson stood at the plate with a full count.  Fairley pitcher Courtney Maxwell got his signal from his battery mate and unleashed a fastball.  Gibson turned on the pitch and seconds later all heard the clang of the ball hitting high on the left field foul pole, as Gibson recorded his first homerun of the year, putting the Wolfpack in the lead 1-0 over the Bulldogs, Friday night.

Jr. Adam Hampton got the start in the contest and breezed through the opening two innings against a much improved Fairley team.  He had difficulty fining the plate in the 3rd inning as the first six Bulldog batters he faced all reached base (4 by BB/HP).  After the Bulldogs took the lead 3-2, Jr. Miller Moore entered the game with the bases loaded and no outs.  On his first pitch the Fairley batter grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.  Four pitches later he was out of the inning when the next batter grounded out to shortstop Mark Foster.  "I knew I had to go in there and throw strikes," said Moore, about his first varsity pitching opportunity.  He continued to throw strikes in the 4th, as he K'ed two batters and had the third to ground out.

Trailing 2-4 Cordova needed to get their bats hot going into the bottom of the 4th inning.  After Jr. C Keith Hilderbrand and Fr. OF Bobbie Graham reached base by walks, Foster smashed a ball down the third base line scoring Hilderbrand and Graham.  Gibson followed with a walk.  The hottest bat on the team came to the plate in the form of Jr. DH Julian Henson who was slugging .900.  Henson took Maxwell to a full count then uncorked a triple to the opposite field, scoring Foster and Gibson.  He later scored on a passed ball to cap a 5 run inning that gave the Wolfpack the lead, 7-4.

In the top of the 6th, with bases loaded and two outs, Sr. Jay Hollenbeck came to the rescue and promptly retired a Bulldog batter by strike out.  He went on to close out the game, striking out another two batters in the 7th inning.

Cordova tallied anther 3 runs in the 5th and 2 more in the 6th, for a final score of 12-5.  The coaches timely two pitching changes, with bases loaded, had derailed Fairley's attempt at rallies.  The Wolves pounded out 9 hits in the contest, including a HR, two triples and three doubles.  Hampton, Miller and Hollenbeck combined to strike out 7 in the course of the contest.

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Saints Fall to Wolfpack [3/22]

Clear and cold is the only way to describe conditions Monday night, as the thermometer read 38 degrees on Briarcrest’s baseball diamond.  The Wolves and Saints were tangling for the second time in this early 2004 ball season, this time in the opening round of the Lewis Harris Tournament.  Cordova had shut-out Briarcrest just seven days earlier 11-0, so the team knew the Saints would have revenge on their minds and the Wolfpack knew they would have to ratchet up their game another notch to guard against a letdown.  

The game started with a 1-4-6 double play (Hachtel-Gibson-Waters) showing all that Cordova had come to play.  Jr. RHP Garrett Hachtel pitched amazingly in the frigid weather.  After the completion of three innings he had faced the minimum nine batters and thrown a mere 38 pitches!   Hachtel continued to pitch with confidence, throwing a no-hitter into the 6^th inning when he gave up two singles.  Jr. RHP Andy Holt came in to close out the game and did a superb job, striking out two of the three batters he faced.  Final score: Cordova 13, Briarcrest 2.

 The offensive highlight of the game goes to Sr. switch-hitter Ephraim McCleary.  McCleary gave a pitch a ride in the 4^th inning that might still have not touched earth.  His two run homer was still rising as it crossed over the 365 mark at left-center.  Mark Foster, Philip Gibson and Travis Calvi each doubled in the contest.

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Wolves Pluck Owls in Lewis Harris Tourny [3/23] 

A five hit 4^th inning scored seven runs, catapulting the Wolves over the MUS Owls Wednesday in East Memphis, as Cordova brought 11 batsmen to the plate and padded their lead 8-0.  A double by Julian Henson, followed by Ephriam McCleary’s RBI single, was capped by a two RBI double ripped down the 3^rd base line by CJ McElveen.  Mark Foster’s two RBI single through the left side gap, was followed by Philip Gibson’s screamer down the 1^st base line scoring two more, to total the seven runs.

Jr. LHP Steven Yarbrough made good on his second start of the season, as he faced the first 17 Owls batters over 3 1/3 innings and recorded the win.  With one out and runners on 1^st and 2nd, Jr. Nick Adair came on to pitch and quail a MUS rally in the 4th.  On a full count the MUS batter hit a ball to 3^rd bagger Ephraim McCleary, who stepped on 3^rd for the force out and whipped the ball to 1^st for the double play, preserving an 8-3 lead.

Cordova expand their lead in the 6^th by two runs off of hits by Andy Holt, Foster and Gibson, and a Sac Fly from Henson. 

The Owls threatened again in the bottom of the 6^th.  After scoring a run, and with bases loaded and no outs, Jr. Miller Moore was called upon to spin some magic.  On a 1-1 count the batter lined out to Gibson on 2^nd base, who flipped the ball to short-stop Foster for a double play.  The subsequent batter grounded to Foster who applied the force out at 2^nd, ending the inning and MUS’s hopes of a comeback.

All nine Wolfpack batters scored in the contest, as Cordova belted out 8 hits to score 10 runs.  Both Nick Adair and Miller Moore did their jobs in relief, squashing MUS rallies with double-play pitches in the 10-6 victory.

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Collierville Steals Win [3/24]

Oh, but for a delayed strike call, what might have been…

Wednesday, March 24^th, Cordova’s Wolfpack Field.  Bottom of the 4^th inning.  Tie game.  Wolves lead-off batter Rocky Escajadillo smacks a base hit to center-field. Jeremy Waters stands in at the plate with a 3-1 count… the pitch… an obvious ball to everyone in the ballpark… Waters starts for 1^st, Rocky starts for 2^nd… then with the base runners half way down the base paths, the ump gives a non-verbal strike signal!!!  Rocky tries to scamper back to 1^st but Collierville applies the tag for an out.  What an outrage! This play would turn out to be  CRUCIAL.  The inning progresses.  Waters walks on the next pitch thrown. Calvi flies out to right-field, for out 2. Foster’s single is followed with a single by Gibson loading the bases.  Henson strikes-out on three pitches.

What if… ump verbally calls a strike on Waters instead of a delayed non-verbal call.  Rocky would have scored off of either Foster or Gibson’s hit, giving Cordova the lead with Henson being the 2^nd out and bases load for McCleary.  Who knows what would have happened with ‘Little Tony Gwynn’ at the plate!  Regardless, Cordova would have had the lead.

Back to reality.  Top of the 6^th.  Collierville’s Scruggs reaches base on an error. Cozart pops up to the catcher, Hawkins singles to right-field driving Scruggs to 3^rd.  Brown hits a sacrifice fly to right-field, scoring Scruggs.  Semenac hits to Foster at SS for a force out at 2^nd of Hawkins.  Collierville takes the lead 4-3.

The ending score Cordova 3, Collierville 4.

Cordova knocked the Dragons starting pitcher, Matt Yokel, out of the game in the 2^nd inning.  His relief, a hard throwing right-hander, Aaron Brubeck, proved harder to hit, as he gave up just 3 hits (all in the painful 4^th inning).  Collierville closer, Zack Cozart, held their lead in the 7^th, throwing wild and hard, but good enough to get two strike outs.

The Wolfpack had a fine pitching performance out of Sr. RHP Jay Hollenbeck.  Backed by solid defense, Hollenbeck held the Dragons in check through most of the game, showing good control and change of pace with his pitches.

The bash brothers, Mark Foster and Philip Gibson, each went 2 for 3 with a run and an RBI.  Forsters 1^st inning lead-off home-run, that went sailing over the 345 mark in left field, set the tone for Wolfpack hitting in the early innings.  I can’t imagine a better 1-2-3 punch than Cordova’s Foster-Gibson-Henson, who have a combined batting average of .440, with a slugging percentage of .720.

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Mustangs early lead hold against the Wolves [3/26]

Cordova dug an early hole for themselves, Friday night at Houston, that proved too deep to pull out of, as the Wolves fell to the Mustangs 0-5.  The Mustangs Jr. RHP Tyler Watson threw a four hit shut-out in the win, as nationally ranked Houston extended their record to 7-1.

Though Cordova's offense was anemic, their defense was red hot and the most positive aspect of the game.  The Wolfpack outfield of Travis Calvi, Rocky Escajadillo, and Keith Hilderbrand got exercised in the opening innings with every ball hit going to the outfield.  After a pitching change, the ball stayed down in the strike zone and the infielders became part of the action.

Several noteworthy plays were made in the contest.  So. LHP Nathan Baker, coming back from a shoulder injury and making his first pitching appearance of the season, made a beautiful move, catching Houston's Dan Hill in a 1-3-6 pick-off.  He also kept his poise and delivered a strike, allowing C Julian Henson to tag out Zack Miller, attempting to punk the Wolves by stealing home.  Later in the game a ball hit through the right-side gap set-up an exciting play at 3rd.  Houston's Gray Avant had walked and stolen 2nd.  With two outs, on contact he was off running.  RF Hilderbrand scooped up the ball and fired it towards the plate.  1B Jeremy Waters took the cut off and seeing Avant hung-up between 3rd and home, shot the ball to Henson, who threw back to 3B Ephraim McCleary for the tag-out.  McCleary was a participant in a good play in the following inning also, as he started a 5-4-3 double play (McCleary-Gibson-Waters) that was executed perfectly.

Baker's long awaited return to the mound was as rewarding as anticipated.  In  2 2/3 innings he struck-out five Houston batters and allowed no hits and no runs.  Jr. Nick Adair also did a stellar job on the mound, as he struck-out two batters in two scoreless innings of work.

Offensively, Henson, McElveen, Escajadillo and Calvi all had singles, counting for the four hits the Wolfpack was able to scatter over seven innings.

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Wolves Fall to Dragons in Rubber Match [3/31]

Cordova continued its downward spiral as they fell 3-4 to the Collierville Dragons Thursday night.  After starting the season 5-1, the Wolfpack has hit an early season slump dropping 4 for their last 5 games, to balance their record at 6-5.

Cordova needed a win for confidence as much as anything, as they took the field against the Dragons for the third time this season, having split earlier games by scores of 8-2 and 3-4.  In the Wolves first at bat, Mark Foster reached base on an error and Philip Gibson walked.  Julian Henson singled to load the bases.  With the table set, Sr. switch-hitter Ephraim McCleary came to the plate and smashed a single through the 2^nd base gap, scoring Foster and Gibson, and giving Cordova a 2-0 lead.  So. LHP Nathan Baker did a great job on the mound, going 3 2/3 innings and allowing just one hit and two unearned runs.  With 2 outs and the score tied Sr. Travis Mathews entered the game in relief and struck out the next Collierville batsman to end the inning.

Cordova took the lead again in the bottom of the 4^th off of back-to-back doubles by McCleary and Garrett Hachtel.

With two outs in the 5^th the wheels feel of the wagon for Mathews.  A 0-2 single to right field was followed by an intentional walk, then the Dragons catcher, Hawkins, ripped a double to left field scoring a run.  His at-bat was followed by an RBI single to give Collierville a 4-3 lead.  Jr. Andy Holt came in to pitch with runners on the corners and made quick work of the next Dragons batter, striking him out swinging. 

In the 5^th Cordova put runners on the corners, as Foster and Henson both singled through the short stop gap.  Collierville’s coach, Jeff Hopkins, knew he was entering dangerous territory with the hot bat of Ephraim McCleary on deck,  and promptly made a pitching change, bringing in the 5^th Collierville hurler of the night, closer Zack Cozart.  McCleary was swinging on Cozart’s first pitch and flew out to the short-stop for out three, validating Coach Hopkins move.

Holt breezed through the 6^th and 7^th for the Wolfpack, allowing just one hit in the closing innings.  This put the Wolves in a good position for a comeback in the bottom of the 7^th and final inning.  With one out Foster singled to left field and took 2^nd on a sacrifice bunt by Rocky Escajadillo.  It was all in vain, as the next Wolves batter popped up to the pitcher to end the inning and game.  Final score: Cordova 3, Collierville 4.

Jr. Catcher Julian Hinson threw two Collierville runners out attempting to steal 2^nd base.  Sr. OF Travis Calvi made an alert play on an a throw-down to 2^nd that skipped into the outfield.  He was backing up the infielders and quickly scooped up the ball and threw the runner out a 3^rd for a 2-8-5 put out.  Both Henson and McCleary were 2 for 3 from the plate for Cordova in the contest. Cordova pitching combined for 9 strike-outs.

An aside: Cordova came out in the 3/31 polls as the #9 ranked AAA team in the state (Houston #2, Collierville #3, Munford #7). The team will have a chance to justify the ranking next week in the USA CLASSIC where many of the top teams in the state will participate.

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Cordova Wins District Opener [4/5]

“Strike three!” the umpire shouted.  So. LHP Nathan Baker had just registered his 12^th and final strike-out of the game, on his way to pitching a one hit shut-out in the District 14-AAA opener against rival Bolton.  Baker faced just 5 batters over the minimum possible in the 9-0 victory.  He had a no-hitter going until the final inning, when with one out, Wildcat catcher Chris Rezebeck spoiled his no-no with a single, for the only Bolton hit of the night.

 Cordova was led offensively by juniors Rocky Escajadillo and Garrett Hachtel who combined for 6 of the Wolves 9 RBI’s.   Jr. CJ McElveen gave the home crowd something to shout about, when in the 3^rd inning he connected on a 1-0 pitch that sailed over the center-field fence for a two run homer.

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Cordova Splits With Bolton [4/6]

Tuesday night, April 6th, Cordova had high hopes of sweeping Bolton in the opening week of district play.  Garrett Hachtel was pitching a no-hitter and enjoying a 2-0, when in the third inning his elbow popped, requiring him to leave the game.  Travis Mathews entered the game to pitch in injury relief of Hachtel, and promptly ended the 3^rd inning with a 6-3 ground out.

 The 4^th inning was ugly but harmless, as Mathews hit two Bolton batters and walked one.  In the 5^th the Wildcats took a 3-2 lead off of a hit-batsman, a single and two errors.  Andy Holt came on to pitch in the 6^th stranding a runner at 3^rd and registering two K’s.  

Trailing by a run, Cordova came to the plate for their final swings.  Mark Foster reached on a fielder’s choice and advanced to 2^nd on a Wildcat throwing error.  With two outs Philip Gibson got an intentional walk and Julian Henson drove in Foster with a single to centerfield, tying the game and placing runners on the corners.  On a 1-1 count Ephraim McCleary flew out to the left-fielder on a hard hit ball for out three.

 With the game tied Holt returned to the mound to pitch the 7^th.  A one out walk, followed by a double to right-field, put Bolton runners on 2^nd and 3^rd base.  The Wildcat lead-off hitter, Ince, was awarded a intentional free pass to load the bases.  Day flied out to 3^rd for the second out of the inning, with no runners advancing.  Everyone held their breath as the Bolton three-hole hitter stood at the plate.  On an 0-2 count he made contact with a change-up, blasting the ball into center-field to score the winning run.  Final score Cordova 3, Bolton 4.

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USA Classic Produces Nail-Biters [4/7-4/9] 

The Wolfpack finished the week of April 4^th with a record of 2-3.  After a Monday night 9-0 win over Bolton, Cordova played four nail-bitters to finish the week, all one run games: Bolton 3-4, Oakland 4-5, Hartselle 3-4, Mills Godwin 4-3.

Facing Murfreesboro’s Oakland Patriots, Wednesday proved exciting as Cordova opened the USA Classic tournament.  Jay Hollenbeck got the start for the Wolves in the drizzling rain.  Oakland drew blood in the 2^nd with back-to-back doubles, and took a 3-0 lead in the 3^rd off of a triple and a double.  Cordova chipped away at the Patriots lead in the bottom of the 3^rd as Rocky Escajadillo and Philip Gibson both singled, and Oakland pitcher Brad Robinson, baulked in Escajadillo.

Cordova jumped ahead of Oakland in the 4^th, scoring 3 runs off of  singles by Escajadillo and Jeremy Waters and a Gibson double.  After 5 innings the Wolfpack held a one run lead 4-3.

Hollenbeck was pulled in the 6^th with one out and runners on 1^st and 2^nd.  Miller Moore took the mound and registered a quick strike-out on the first Patriot batter he faced.  A triple by the next batsman drove in two and put Oakland up 5-4.  A fly-out to center-field to ended the inning. 

Robbie Graham walk with one-out and took 2^nd base on a wild pitch, but could advance no further as the next two Wolves struck out swinging in the bottom of the 6^th.  Miller made quick work of the Patriots in the top of the 7^th, dismissing the opposing batters 1-2-3, but it was to no avail as Cordova was unable to establish a base-runner in the bottom of the 7^th.  Final score: Cordova 4, Oakland 5.

The Tigers of Hartselle, Alabama were the Wolves opponents on Thursday afternoon.  Again, Cordova fell behind early in the contest as Hartselle had a 4-0 lead after completing the 5^th inning.  To this point the Tigers pitcher, Sam Ferguson, had a one-hit shut out in the makings.  With two outs, Robbie Graham took 1^st after the Hartselle catcher let strike three get past him.  Cordova’s Mark Foster said ‘enough of this’ as he stepped up to the plate, sending the first pitch to left-field for an RBI triple, and came flying home on a relay error to touch all four bags and score.  With one swing of the bat, Cordova was back in the game, trailing 2-4. 

Steven Yarbrough completed the game on the mound in the 7^th, holding the Tigers in-check.  Philip Gibson got the bottom of the 7^th started with a single through the short stop gap.  Travis Calvi followed with a one out walk, and Gibson was successful stealing 3^rd.  Now runners were poised on 1^st and 2nd.  Jeremy Waters hit a ball through the right-side gap, scoring Gibson and pushing Calvi to 2nd.  Score now is 3-4, with one away.  Hartselle’s coach had seen enough and pulled his starter for the Tiger’s closer Chris Russell.  Julian Henson came to the plate as a pitch hitter, and with an 0-2 count hit the ball to center-field, but the Hartselle center-fielder made a fine play, not allowing Calvi to tag-up on 2^nd and advance.  Andy Holt took a 3-1 pitch for ball four to load the bases.  All the pressure stood on Freshman CF Robbie Graham.  After batting threw 7 pitches from Russell, Graham was called out on strikes ending the game with bases loaded.  Final score: Cordova 3, Hartselle 4.

Richmond, Virginia’s Mills Godwin took the field Friday afternoon to face off with the Wolfpack.  Mark Foster in the first at-bat of the game set the stage for the contest with a double down the third base line.  He then stole 3^rd and was driven home by Philip Gibson’s single to left-field.  Nathan Baker got some work in on the mound in anticipation of a Monday start against Munford, sticking-out two in his one inning of work.  Travis Mathews got two innings of work, sticking out two, and passing the no-hitter on to Andy Holt.  Gibson gave a 2-0 pitch a ride to deep left-field for a double to start the 4^th inning. And Ephraim McCleary drove him home with another double, to give Cordova a 2-0 lead after 4 innings of play.

Travis Calvi walked to start the 5^th and Graham’s sacrifice bunt advanced Calvi to 2^nd.  Mr. Extra Bases came to the plate (Mark Foster) and belted another double down the third base line to score Calvi.  Rocky Escajadillo followed Foster by slamming the first pitch he saw down the same trail, scoring Foster.  Now the Wolfpack held a solid 4-0 lead Holt carried the combo no-hitter into the bottom of the 6^th inning.  Mills Godwin hitters finally seemed to figure Cordova pitching out in the inning as they recorded 4 hits in a row, scoring 2 runs.  Nick Adair came into the game with runners on 2^nd and 3^rd.  He wasted no time getting the 2^nd out of the inning by striking out the first batter he faced.  The next batter hit the ball toward third base.  Forgetting that their were two outs, the 3^rd baseman made a mental error and held the ball too long before making a throw to first, letting out three slip-away, and allowing the Mills Godwin run to count.  Luckily, it was all for naught, as catcher Julian Henson rifled the ball down to second catching the runner attempting to steal for the final out of the inning. 

Foster’s triple in the 7^th went unfulfilled, as he was stranded on 3^rd in the top of the 7^th.  Adair came back to the mound in the bottom of the 7^th, nursing a one run lead.  A lead-off single was pushed to third base by a series bunts, and with two outs the Mills Godwin's one hole hitter struck out on a check swing to end the game.  Final score: Cordova 4, Mills Godwin 3. 

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Cordova’s offensive slump continues [4/14]

 Four seems to be the magic number for the Wolves… score over four, they win; score four or less, they lose.  In all nine of Cordova’s losses the team scored four or less runs.  Wednesday, the formula held true, as Cordova drop a district game to the Munford Cougars, 3-8. 

There wasn’t much difference in the number of hits the two teams accumulated, Cordova 6, Munford 7, it was their groupings.  Munford chained four hits back-to-back in the 3^rd inning to score five runs, and coupled two hits in the 7^th inning to record three more runs.  Cordova had two innings where they got two hits, the rest were single hits scattered over the course of the game.

 Mark Foster was his usual productive self, hitting a pair of doubles, and Jay Hollenbeck went 2 for 3 with a set of singles. 

 As a team the Wolfpack is hitting .248 over their last six games [since 4/5], bringing their season team batting average to below .300 for the first time this year [.296].  The team is definitely missing the bat of injured P/OF Garrett Hachtel and his .387 BA.  To compensate for his absence the coaches are allowing Jay Hollenbeck more plate appearances.  This strategy seems to be working, as Hollenbeck is hitting .462 in 13 at-bats this season [.375 over the last 6 games].  Hopefully Coach Blythe can find the right line-up to shake the cobwebs from Cordova’s bats and get the once hard-hitting Wolves back on track.

 Playing a rain-out make-up game Wednesday at home against Munford, a two out error opened the flood gates for the Cougars.  Trailing 0-1 at the time, Munford put four hits together to score 5 unearned runs, with two outs, and jump into a 5-1 lead.  Cordova nibbled away at Munford’s lead by scoring a run in the 3^rd, but the Cougars came back in the 7^th to mark three more scores on the board and walk-away with an 8-3 win.

 Nathan Baker pitched most of the game striking out 5 over 6 2/3 innings, to even his season record at 1-1. 

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Cordova wins tournament opener over White Station [4/15]

Cordova slipped by White Station Thursday in the opening game of the 2004 Pepsi Challenge at Gagliano Field in Memphis, by a score of 6-5. The story of the day was Jr. CJ McElveen who batted 3 for 3 for Cordova with a HR and 2 doubles. He accounted for 4 of Cordova's RBI.

Facing a much improved White Station team with new coach Mike Vannaman, Cordova had its hands full.  White Station scored in the opening inning off of a walk and two errors.  Cordova came back in the 2^nd to score 3 and take the lead by hits from McElveen and Steven Yarbrough, then added extra cushion to the score in the 3^rd, as McElveen crushed a 1-1 pitch over the left-centerfield fence for a three run homer.

White Station got all of their hits in the game in one bunch, that coming in the bottom of the 4^th.  With one out, the bottom of the Spartan’s batting order recorded three solid hits. After their lead-of batter struck-out, the two hole hitter doubled to center-field by was cut down trying to reach 3^rd but a nice throw from centerfielder Robbie Graham to 3^rd baseman Ephraim McCleary.

The pucker factor increased ten-fold from the 4^th inning on.  Each pitch and each at-bat seemed crucial.  Both pitchers battled the opposing batter and the plate umpire with each pitch.  Cordova came up in the 5^th… down they went 1-2-3.  White Station came to the plate… down they went 1-2-3.  McElveen got a lead-off double in the 6^th but was stranded.  The Spartans went down in order in the bottom of the inning.  The Wolves took their last swings in the 7^th to no avail.

Cordova’s starting pitcher, Travis Mathews, returned to the mound in the bottom of the 7^th to complete the game, facing the top of the Spartan’s batting order.  With one out, he gave up back-to-back full-count walks.  Coach Barnett made a visit to the mound and gave him a pep talk.  Whatever he said worked, as Mathews struck out the next batter for his seventh K of the game.  McCleary easily handled a grounder by the Spartan’s next batter to end the game and preserve the win.  Final score: Cordova 6, White Station 5.

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Cordova evens Pepsi Challenge record [4/16]

Round 2 of the Pepsi Challenge saw the Wolves matched up against the Saints of ECS.  The game see-sawed through the first three innings… Cordova scores3, ECS scores 3, Cordova scores 1, ECS scores 1, Cordova comes up empty, ECS post a goose egg…tit-for-tat.  The 4^th inning rolled around and the Wolves failed to score again.  Starting pitcher Jay Hollenbeck came out to make his pitches in the 4^th to the top of ECS’s batting order.  A double to left-field led of the inning.  The runner advanced to 3^rd on a throwing error.  Hollenbeck struck out the next ECS batter, but a ground-out to 1^st scored the Saints runner to put them in the lead 5-4. 

Hollenbeck went on the finish the game, allowing just 3 hits, but the Wolfpack was unable to rally and fell to the Saints 5-4.  Rocky Escajadillo was had 3 singles and an RBI to go with Nick Adair’s double and single with 2 RBI outing.

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Yarbrough pitches Cordova to win [4/16B]

RED HOT is the only way to describe the Cordova Wolves in Friday night’s late game against the Ridgeway Roadrunners.  Big lefty Steven Yarbrough took command of the game from his first pitch.  Working at a quick pace, and with command of the strike zone with both his fast ball and breaking ball, he mowed down the Roadrunner batters in fine fashion, striking-out 10 over the course of the six inning game.  

The Wolves battered Roadrunner starting pitcher Will Hudgens forcing him from the mound in the 5^th inning.  Though a hard thrower, Cordova touched him up for 6 hits and 7 runs in his 4 innings on the mound.  Cordova’s hot bats, lead by three triples and a double, kept Wolfpack runners in scoring position and poised to take advantage of frequent wild pitches and passed ball opportunities. 

Freshman Robbie Graham had his coming out party, as he went 3-3 from the plate with a pair of triples and a single.  Jeremy Waters was also hot with a double and single to his credit, and Julian Henson’s timely RBI triple had the crowd chattering.  Final score: Cordova 13, Ridgeway 1.

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Wolfpack falls in extra inning game [4/17]

Little did the spectators know they were in for extra inning baseball as the Wolves got a late start in the match between Cordova and MUS Owls on Saturday afternoon.  The game took on the look of a batting clinic as the two squads combined for 27 hits in the 8 inning contest.  MUS took a 4-1 lead after two complete innings, but Cordova battled back to show just a one run deficit after the 5^th, and tied the contest at 8 all in the 7^th.  

Miller Moore had relieved Adam Hampton on the mound in the 4^th and was experiencing his longest stint pitching of the season.  Cordova fell 1-2-3 in the top of the 8^th to Owls closer Rob Parks.  Not to be outdone, Moore struck-out the first batter he faced in the 8^th and got the next batter to ground out.  With tow outs, Parks, the 4 clean-up batter, came to the plate.  On a full count pitch he rapped the ball hard enough to cause a fielding error and reach base.  A walk followed his at-bat, and on an 0-2 count the Owls batsman recorded the game winning hit.  Final score: Cordova 8, MUS 9.

 Noteworthy were singles by McCleary, McElveen, Adair and Graham to rally the Wolves in the 5^th and give the time new life.  Most productive bats were held by Henson, 3 for 5 with 2 doubles, and Adair, was 3 for 5 with 3 singles.  MUS’s Rob Parks recorded his third pitching decision of the tournament, of a win and 2 saves.

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Wolfpack evens district record at 2-2 [4/19]

Sophomore LHP Nathan Baker improved his record to 2-1 with an eleven strike-out performance against the Millington Trojans, Monday night in a District 14-AAA contest. Baker began the season on the DL and has been impressive since returning.

The Trojans Davis McCracken helped his own cause in the 4th with a solo homer, Millington's only run of the game.

 A first inning offensive onslaught by the Wolfpack knocked the Trojans starter, Dusty Carver, from the game in the first 1/3 of the inning, after Cordova scored six runs off of seven hits.  Reliever Davis McCracken survived a shaky second inning, where he allowed four runners to score off of three hits, and pitched a one-hitter the remaining four innings. 

Baker’s performance led the Wolves in their effort to tie their district record at 2-2.  His three hit, one run game, was a pitching performance well worth the admission price.   Junior Philip Gibson was 3 for 4 from the plate for Cordova which recorded eleven hits in the contest.  Eight of the nine Wolfpack starters had a hit in the win, including triples by Caleb McElveen and Ephraim McCleary, and doubles by Rocky Escajadillo and Philip Gibson. 

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Cordova sweeps Millington in district play [4/20]

A strong wind blew in from center-field Tuesday, at USA Stadium in Millington, negating the long ball, but Cordova’s Junior Catcher Julian Henson didn’t let the wind hold him back as he crushed the ball for 3 doubles, earning 3 RBI.  Two Wolfpack hitters were unstoppable in this district game.  In addition to Henson’s 3 for 3 performance, Junior Rocky Escajadillo's line read a perfect 3-3-3 (3 at-bats, 3 hits, 3 runs) with 2 RBI.  Cordova recorded 11 hits in the game.

Senior RHP Travis Mathews extended his record to 4-1 in the 7-1 victory over Millington.  His 8 strike-outs, combined with a strong defensive effort from the field, kept the Trojan in-check throughout the contest.

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Cordova drops district game to Bartlett [4/26]

Cordova suffered a heartbreaking loss to Bolton on Monday night, ending their chance to win the regular season district title.  Bolton came back from a two run deficit to take the game in the 7^th, by a score of 4-3. 

The contest was packed with excitement and intrigue.  Mark Foster amazed the spectators with his speed, determination and tenacity, as he went 3 for 3 from the plate, hitting a mini-circuit. He had a lead off double to start the game, an RBI triple in the 3^rd, and a single in the 5^th, before injuring himself in a daring run to the plate to score in the 5^th inning.  Catcher Julian Henson cut down two Bartlett runners attempting to steal 2^nd. 

Nathan Baker and Andy Holt did a fine job for the Wolfpack on the mound in the contest.  Together, they struck out 8 Panther batters.  Only one strike out looking.  The plate umpire, battered by Bartlett coach Phil Clark, succumbed to the relentless abuse by the aggressive Clark and was intimidated into squeezing the strike zone against Cordova pitching in the final innings of play.  Unfortunately, the Ridgeway transfers pitching for Bartlett were not subject to the same finite strike zone. 

Putting the umpire bashing aside, Cordova dug it’s own grave.  In the 6^th inning, with a 3-2 lead, relief pitcher Andy Holt got two quick outs, then disaster struck.  A routine grounder to 3^rd was mishandled, allowing the batter to reach 1^st.  Holt went back to work on the next Bartlett batsman and enticed him to pop-up. This ball was bobbled and fell to the ground. With 2 outs, the baserunner at 1^st was running on the crack of the bat and scored. Back-to-back, two out errors, allowed the game tying runner to exist and score.

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Shut out turns into rout in 7th  [4/27]

A two hit shut-out through six innings took a 180 degree turn in the seventh, as Senior RHP Travis Mathews dropped his season record to 4-2 in a 2-7 loss to Bartlett.  Mathews had had little trouble with Panther batters through the first six innings, pitching to just two batters over the minimum possible through the 6^th.  Leading 2-0 entering the 7^th and final inning, most were confident that Cordova would record their 4^th district win of the season.  A lead off double by Bartlett’s catcher set the Panther rally in motion.  Their 3^rd basemen drew a walk and the DH followed with a single to load the bases.  A sacrifice-bunt down the 1^st base line scored the first run for Bartlett.  A mishandled fielder’s choice let the second run score, and a throwing error allowed the go-ahead run to score.  Mathews struck out the next batter for the second out of the inning, but allowed two more hits before being pulled.  Nick Adair came on to pitch in relief, and four batters later the final out was recorded.  Bartlett had turned the tables and taken a 7-2 lead.

The mood was black as Cordova came to the plate for their final swings.  Two strike-outs were followed by two base-runners, but none would score as the final tally would read: Cordova 2, Bartlett 7. 

Mark Foster returned to the line-up after suffering an ankle injury in Monday’s game.  He started two double plays from his short-stop position, and went 1 for 4 from the plate with an RBI, showing little effect from his injury. 

Julian Henson hit 2 for 3 for the night with an RBI and a stolen base.  He also threw-out a runner, attempting to steal, from his catchers position.

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Cordova corrals Mustangs in 8-6 win [5/3]

It was a chilly May night for Memphis as Cordova took the field to play Houston in this late season game.  The Wolves entered the contest on a seven game losing streak and needed a win over the Mustangs to stop the skid. The Wolfpack would be facing Houston’s pitching ace, and Mississippi State signee, Jon Lalor.  Cordova countered with Travis Mathews. The fight was on!

Inning 1: Mathews pitching: Miller K looking [O1]| Hogue K swinging [O2]| Bishop 4-3 [O3]. Lalor pitching: Graham 6-3 [O1]| E'dillo L8 [O2]| Foster F8 [O3].

Things got interesting in the top of the 2nd as Houston scored 5 unearned runs and the crowd thought 'here we go again'...  Inning 2: Mathews pitching: Wiedman K swinging [O1]| Avant single| Porter 2P ball to Pitcher who commits E1 throwing error to 2B| Adams F6 [O2]| Lauber singles| Avant scores on PB (R1), Porter and Lauber move up a base| McClain reaches on E5T, Porter and Lauber score (R2&3)| Miller walks| McClain steals 3^rd| McClain steals home on double steal (R4)| Hogue triples, scoring Miller (R5)| Bishop 4-2 [O3]. Lalor pitching: Henson single| Gibson single| Adair F9 [O1]| Waters F3 [O2]| McCleary 4-3 [O3].

Cordova rallied in the 3rd to pull within a run of Houston... Inning 3: Mathews pitching: Wiedman K looking [O1]| Avant single| Avent takes 2nd of E2T| Porter F7 [O2]| Adams 6-3 [O3]. Lalor pitching: Calvi K looking [O1]| Graham HR (R1)| E'dillo 5-3 [O2]| Foster doubles| Henson singles scoring Foster (R2)| Gibson walks| Adair doubles scoring Henson and Gibson (R3&4)| Waters K swinging [O3].

Houston and Cordova both add a run in the 4th... Inning 4: Mathews pitching: Lauber 3-1 [O1]| McClain doubles| Miller K swinging [O2]| Hogue doubles scoring McClain (R6)| Hogue steals 3rd| Bishop K swinging [O3]. Lalor pitching: McCleary F8 [O1]| Calvi 1-3 [O2]| Graham reaches on E5T| Graham steals 2nd| Graham takes 3rd on WP| E'dillo reaches on E6F, Graham scores (R5)| Foster F6 [O3].

Status quo in the 5th... Inning 5: Mathews pitching: Wiedman K looking [O1]| Avant 5-3 [O2]| Porter walks| Adams reaches on E6T| Hollenbeck enters game to pitch: Lauber F8 [O3]. Lalor pitching: Henson F3 [O1]| Gibson walks| Adair K swinging [O2]| Waters singles| Gibson and Waters advance on WP| McCleary F8 [O3].

Cordova adds three runs to take the lead in the 6th... Inning 6: Hollenbeck pitching: McClain 1-3 [O1]| Miller K looking [O2]| Hogue F9 [O3]. Lalor pitching: Calvi 6-3 [O1]| Graham triples| E'dillo singles scoring Graham (R6)| Foster singles| Henson's single hits Foster [O2]| Gibson doubles scoring E'dillo and Henson (R7&8)| Adair 6-3 [O3].

Cordova needed to hold in the top of the 7th for the win and Hollenbeck gets the job done... Inning 7: Hollenbeck pitching: Bishop K swinging [O1]| Wiedman K swinging [O2]| Avant 6-3 [O3].  CORDOVA WINS 8-6!

A full moon enticed a series of quirky plays, anyone of which could have been the death knoll for the Wolves, but Cordova played through four throwing errors, a lost fly ball in the lights, and a mishap on the base path to pull off a win over the Mustangs.  Fantastic Freshman Robbie Graham recorded his first home run of his short varsity career, coming against one of the areas premier pitchers.  He was 2 for 4 from the plate with a HR, a triple, and 3 runs scored.  Mark Foster was 2 for 4 with a double and a single, Julian Henson was 3 for 4 with 3 singles, and Philip Gibson was 2 for 2 with a single and a game winning 2 RBI double [with 2 outs in the 6^th]. Cordova blistered Houston with a 12 hit outing.  Cordova pitching proved too much for Houston this night as seniors Travis Mathews and Jay Hollenbeck combined for 10 strike-outs in the win. 

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District 14-AAA Tournament Update [5/6-5/10]

As the 4 seed coming into the tournament, Cordova knows it will be an uphill climb to the championship, but climb they’re willing and able to do.  After three rounds, they are still in striking distance of the championship. 

The Wolfpack’s first prey was the Millington Trojans, who fell to Cordova 5-2 behind a dominating pitching performance by Nathan Baker.  Baker fanned 11 Trojans  at the plate and had total command of the game until the 7^th inning.  With 2 outs and a 5-0 lead, a questionable hit to 3^rd opened the flood gate.  The hit was followed by three consecutive walks, the last base-on-balls producing an RBI.  This caused Coach Blythe to lift Baker late in the inning and give Jay Hollenbeck a chance at a save.  Hollenbeck hit the first Millington batter he faced scoring the 2^nd run in the inning, and with bases loaded enticed the final Trojan batter to clip a pitch into an infield pop-up for out three and the save.

 Jeremy Waters lead the way offensively for Cordova going 2 for 2 from the plate with a run and an RBI.

 District Champ Munford was Cordova’s opponent in game #2.  Facing Cougar ace Cody Overbeck for the third time this season, Wolfpack bats fell silent, as Overbeck allowed just 3 hits in the contest [McCleary, Henson, Escajadillo].  Travis Mathews made a valiant attempt to keep Cordova in the game, recording 9 strike-outs, but a 3^rd inning 1-0 lead could not hold as Munford scored twice in the 4th and 6^th innings for a 1-4 win. 

Mathews pitched himself out of several jams, most notably in the 4^th inning.  Four back-to-back hit had scored 2 Cougars and left runners poised on 2^nd and 3^rd with no outs.  Mathews was able to strike-out the next 3 Munford batsmen to extract himself from a most precarious situation. 

 Munford gave Cordova a fighting chance by committing 6 errors in the contest, but 3 hits, a HB and a walk were not enough to put the Wolves over the hump, as they stranded 9, 6 in scoring position.

 Cordova put on their ‘never say die’ faces as they came to the field for game #3 of the tournament.  Their foe that day would be the Bolton Wildcats.  As visitors, Cordova got the first crack at scoring, and it didn’t take long for them to get on the scoreboard, as Robbie Graham launched the 4^th pitch of the game over the wall for a home run!  Not to be outdone, Julian Henson took a 1-1 pitch and blasted it out of the park for a home run to start the 3^rd inning.  Bolton mirrored Cordova in scoring through 4 innings with the score tied at 2-2.

 In the 5^th the Wolves took the lead, 4-2.  Graham doubled to start the inning.  Foster reached on a HBP, and RBI singles from Philip Gibson and Jay Hollenbeck brought Graham and Foster across the plate.

 Hollenbeck had done a stellar job pitching when in the top of the 7^th the bottom fell out of the sky and a river of water was deposited on the field in just a few quick minutes.  This caused an hour plus rain delay and when the contest resumed, Andy Holt took the mound attempting to save the win for Hollenbeck.  Unfortunately, 3 hits scored 2 runs to tie the game in the bottom of the 7^th and put the contest into extra innings.

In the first inning of free baseball, Cordova scored 3 runs with 2 outs on the board.  Reaching base on singles, Escajadillio and Foster were brought home by RBI hits from Henson and Gibson, with Henson also scoring on Gibson’s double. 

 Holt K’ed 2 of the 3 batters he faced in the bottom of the 8^th for the win, propelling the Wolfpack into the semi-final game against the Panthers of Bartlett.

 Through 3 games Julian Henson and  Jeremy Waters have the hottest bats.  Henson is 5 of 11 with a .455 BA and a .818 slugging percentage (HR +double), and Waters is 3 of 7 with a .429 BA.  Freshman Robbie Graham has a .769 slugging percentage, hitting for the cycle in the tournament with a single, double, triple and home run.

Millington - 5/6/04

Munford - 5/7/04

Bolton - 5/10/04

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Too Many Heroes to Mention! Cordova Beats Bartlett to Advance. [5/11A]

Both coaches knew their team’s season was on the line in the 'loser goes home' match-up Tuesday between Cordova and Bartlett.  The Elimination Bracket game would decide who, in addition to Munford, advanced to Regional play next week.  Before the contest concluded seven pitchers would see time on the mound as Coaches Phil Clark and Skip Blythe jockeyed for the right match-ups between hurler and hitter. 

Cordova opened the game with a 3 run inning.  Bartlett came back in the 2^nd to tie the game.  Cordova came back in the 4^th to take a one run lead as Julian Henson converted a lead-off single into a run. 

Up 4-3, Cordova’s starter  Nathan Baker came back to the mound in the 4^th. Two walks and a hit-batsman loaded the bases, and with one out Coach Blythe relieved Baker with Caleb McElveen.  On McElveen’s first pitch Bartlett’s Gore hit a double-play ball to 2B Philip Gibson to end the inning. 

Robbie Graham doubled to start the 5^th inning, and took third on a baulk.  Rocky Escajadillo hit a sacrifice fly to score Graham, and Mark Foster scored as he, Henson and Philip Gibson all hit safely in the inning, padding the lead 6-3.

McElveen had little trouble in the 5^th and 6th as strong defense held the Panthers scoreless.  A three pitch strike-out started the bottom of the 7^th for McElveen, but after two Bartlett batters reached base by drawing walks, Coach Blythe lifted McElveen in favor of Travis Mathews.  Mathews lured the Panthers 3 hole hitter, McCormick, to swing at a late breaking fastball, grounding into a 5-4-3 game ending double-play. 

Cordova’s defense was solid throughout the contest.  Gibson was a party to 3 double-plays in the game, with 2 put-outs and 6 assist.  Foster was solid at SS with 3 put-outs and 4 assist.  It was truly a team effort as everyone on the field and in the dugout contributed to the victory, assuring Cordova’s season will continue into regional tournament play.

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Wolves Out Claw Cougars to 5-3 win [5/11]

Nick Adair did what few others have done this season, beat Munford. The Munford Cougars entered Tuesday nights game with a record of 20-4.  Like so many other teams Cordova had been unsuccessful in cracking the veneer of Coach Tommy Densford’s team.  That was until Junior RHP Nick Adiar took his shot at this top metro team.  With good pitch control, and behind error free fielding, Adair led the Wolves past the Cougars 5-3. 

Senior RF Travis Calvi got the ball rolling in the 3^rd inning as he singled to center-field and then scored on an RBI double by Freshman CF Robbie Graham.  Munford came back with 3 hits in the 4^th to score two runs and take a temporary lead.  Graham had no intension of losing this game, as he lead off the 5^th with a power stroke to RF the cleared the fence for his second homer of the tournament, tying the game at 2-2.  The Cougars strung together a pair of doubles to score a run in the 6^th to momentarily retake the lead 2-3.

Cordova trailed by a run entering the 7^th and final inning.  Calvi stuck out to lead off the inning.  Graham followed suit with a strike-out swinging, but Willis, the Munford catcher, could not hold on to the 3^rd strike and the speedster Graham force a wide throw to the first-baseman and ended up standing safe on 2^nd.  This error would prove costly for the Cougars.  LF Rocky Escajadillo followed with an RBI double to score Graham and tie the game 3-3.  SS Mark Foster blasted a 2-2 pitch to CF to score Escajadillo for the go-ahead run, and 2B Philip Gibson brought home Foster for an insurance run.

 Adair took the mound in the bottom of the 7^th, three outs away from a big win.  On a full count pitch their lead-off batter, Dawson, grounded out to Gibson.  The next batter, Willis,  caught a ball in the thigh to reach base (HBP).  Munford 3^rd baseman, Clay Wright, then smacked a double to the centerfield wall.  Graham grabbed the ball and fired it to Foster who relayed the ball to 3B Ephraim McCleary.  McCleary applied the tag to a sliding Willis for out #2.  Adair enticed the following batsman, Wilson, to ground out to Gibson for out #3 and the WIN!

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