Cape Catfish rides early offense to victory

Bay Witcher

Sometimes, it's better to be lucky than good.

But what about being good and benefitting from some luck?

The Cape Catfish have had a lot of early success this Prospect League season but in differing ways.

Cape has won with quality pitching. It has won with offensive outbursts. And it has also won with walk-off errors, specifically in its two games prior to Tuesday.

The Catfish (14-6) held a 6-3 lead after two innings of a game postponed due to rain earlier this month and they kept that momentum going to finish that game Tuesday in an eventual 15-10 win at Springfield.

Cape was cooking from the hot bats of Ellison Hanna II, Dalton Doyle and Christopher Jordan, as each player had three hits and Jordan leading the way with four RBIs.

Doyle doubled to left field in the first inning and scored John Behrends to put the Catfish up 1-0, and Taylor Pridgen followed with a two-run single that plated Hanna and Doyle as they built a quick three-run lead.

Pridgen, a Troy University product, finished with two runs batted in for the game.

What has been a calling card for Cape has been its ability to put runners on base and in position to score. They had plenty of that in this game.

In the third inning, Jordan netted two of his four RBIs with a double to widen their lead to 8-3. The Catfish bats continued to pour it on, as Hanna, Andrew Stone, Pridgen and University of Arkansas freshman Curtis Washington Jr. each drove in runs in the frame as the Catfish scored six runs to bump their lead to 12-3.

Doyle's solo home run in the fifth inning put his team up 15-4 and that was his first home run since the team's home opener on June 4. The Eastern Illinois third baseman's homer would prove to be vital going forward as the Sliders got into a rhythm.

Bell City's Austin Hicks started the first two innings earlier in the month but was replaced by Bay Witcher Tuesday.

Hicks gave up three earned runs on five hits and struck out five.

Witcher, another Troy University product, started strong by quickly recording three outs in the third inning. However, he got into a bind in the fifth and Springfield scored five runs to get within 15-9. He lasted three innings, allowed seven hits, six earned runs, walked three and struck out two in earning the win.

The remaining bullpen of Eric La Rue, Cam Stewart, and Adam Bunnell were able to close out the game, allowing three hits, one run and struck out seven.

In the second game of the doubleheader, Cape scored in five of its seven innings to win 7-5 over the Sliders.

Missouri sophomore Tommy Springer allowed four hits and three earned runs before relievers Jack Wolfe and Collin Taylor combined for four innings of no-hit baseball to seal the win.

Andrew Stone and Doyle each had two hits to lead the offense.

Up next

Cape Catfish at Springfield, today at 6 p.m.