BASEBALL: Verdigris baseball's season comes to an end with loss to Mannford
May 1—Verdigris saw its season come to a disappointing end last week with a tough loss to the Mannford.
Despite hosting Class 4A Regional 13, the Cardinals fell short, losing 5-4 in a must-win situation Friday.
The Cardinals entered the regional having won 12 of their past 15 games, but they unfortunately couldn't maintain their momentum and were eliminated from the postseason.
It was a close contest, with Verdigris out-hitting Mannford 9-5. Boston Acosta and Ethan Hushbeck stood out for the Cardinals, each collecting two hits.
Verdigris faced an early setback as the Pirates took a commanding lead, scoring five runs in the second inning. However, the Cardinals showed resilience and fought back, narrowing the gap with runs scored on a single, a fielder's choice and another single in the third and seventh innings.
Mannford got off to a strong start in the bottom of the first, with a Hunter Howard single bringing in one run, followed by an RBI double from Cooper Ausbern. A Verdigris error allowed two more runs to be scored, giving the Pirates a 5-0 lead.
Despite their efforts, the Cardinals couldn't overcome the early deficit.
Mannford's Howard pitched a full game, allowing nine hits and four runs over seven innings while striking out two and walking three. On the other side, Mac West provided relief for the Cardinals, pitching 4.2 innings and giving up only two hits and no runs while striking out six and walking two.
However, it was Kamden Neal who took the loss for Verdigris, allowing five runs on three hits in 1.1 innings.
Offensively, the Cardinals collected nine hits. West led the team with two runs batted in, going 1-for-4 at the plate.
For the Pirates, Howard made a significant impact, driving in two runs and going 2-for-4 on the day.
