Wildcat baseball team ends losing skid with victory over Herrin
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The Anna-Jonesboro Community High School baseball team halted a brief losing skid and finished regular season play with a 12-8 win over visiting Herrin Thursday, May 14.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">The Tigers built an early 4-0 lead. The Wildcats trailed 8-3 going into the final two innings before bouncing back to score nine runs in the come-from-behind win.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Troy Baggott was 3-for-3 with a double and 3 RBIs to lead A-J at the plate. Wade Haire was 2-for-3. Blake Klett was 2-for-4 with a double and 2 RBIs. Isaac Pender was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Michael Ralls was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Bryce Osman and Nathan Vicenzi had an RBI apiece.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Hunter Ralls, Pender and Noah Prater pitched in the win. Ralls pitched 1 2/3 innings and allowed 7 hits to go with 2 walks and a strikeout. Pender pitched an inning and didn’t allow a hit, walk or record a strikeout. Prater pitched 4 1/3 innings and allowed 2 hits to go with a walk and 2 strikeouts.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>Shawnee 6, A-J 2:</strong> Prater was 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs to lead the host Wildcats in the loss Wednesday, May 13.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Pender and Sean Plott were each 2-for-3. Klett and Osman were each 1-for-3.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Nick Crane was 3-for-4 with 2 doubles, a stolen base and 2 RBIs to lead the Redskins. Dylan Boston was 2-for-2 with 2 RBIs. Shane Burdick was 1-for-3. Hunter Smithey was 1-for-4.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Michael Ralls and Prater pitched in the loss. Ralls pitched 6 2/3 innings and allowed 6 hits to go with 4 walks and 7 strikeouts. Prater pitched 1/3 inning and didn’t allow a hit, walk or strikeout.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Nick Crane and Smithey pitched in the win. Crane pitched 6 2/3 innings and allowed 2 hits to go with a walk and 9 strikeouts. Smithey pitched 1/3 of an inning and didn’t allow a hit with no walks or strikeouts.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>Murphysboro 14, A-J 3:</strong> Klett was 1-for-2 with a double to lead the visiting Wildcats in the loss Tuesday, May 12.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Braydon Benefield was 1-for-2. Haire was 1-for-3 with a double and 2 RBIs. Pender was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Collin Prather was 1-for-3.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Klett and Vicenzi pitched in the loss. Klett pitched 1 2/3 innings and allowed 4 hits to go with 8 walks and a strikeout. Vicenzi pitched 2 1/3 innings and allowed 2 hits to with 5 walks and 3 strikeouts.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">A-J, which finished regular season play at 8-21, plays this week in the Class 2A Wildcat regional tournament.</span></p>