Wildcats Baseball season ends

Baseball, like all spring sports in middle Tennessee, gets off to a slow, uncomfortable start. A game is played then the next one is rained out. Then another is played and the next one played is in cold and windy weather. That’s the pattern most of the first two or three weeks, then things level out and the remainder of the regular season moves along smoothly.

Such was the case for the Livingston Academy Wildcats.

When the season opened, the Cats won the first one then lost the second. For the next four games, wind and cold weather were the norm, but LA won three of the four and the following week won five straight.

Things were moving smoothly with good pitching, timely hitting, and strong defensive play. It looked like the Wildcats would be a good bet for a good district finish and more spots in the regional tournament.

Then it all ended suddenly.

After posting an impressive 21-5 regular season record that included a second place finish in the district, Livingston was rolling.

“Things were really going our way,” LA Head Coach Jamie Loftis explained, “then in two playoff games, we started making mistakes that we hadn’t done in the regular season and they caught up with us. We had a very good season, but it all ended with some critical mistakes.”

Livingston got a BYE in the first round of the district tournament last week and went to Baxter for the second round and faced Stone Memorial, a team the Cats had split a pair of games during the regular season.

In a comeback attack, the Panthers rallied for three runs in the seventh inning to win, 8-5.

Friday night, Livingston faced White County, a team the Cats had defeated twice in the regular season, but couldn’t comeback far enough this time and lost 8-7.

In just two games, after playing 26, the Wildcats headed home, through for the season.

In the two losses, Livingston committed eight errors, four in each game, and those misses were fatal.

“Those errors were what beat us,” the coach added. “We scored enough runs to win, but we gave up enough to lose. It was a very good season, and I hate it ended this way, but you have to be good every time out or you can lose. We lose five seniors off this team, four of them started so we have a rebuilding season ahead of us, but we also have some good players returning.”

On Monday night of last week, Livingston hosted Cumberland County, KY and behind two home runs from Tayshawn Hayes, the Cats won 11-5. Hayes drove in three runs with two hits while RP Campbell scored three times and had three hits. Drayk Blankenship also scored three times and drove in a pair of runs.

Dawson Ledbetter started on the mound and got credit for the win while getting relief from Ethan Westmoreland and Zach Cotterman.

Three nights later, with a sack full of confidence, Livingston took on Stone Memorial in the second round of the district tournament. Livingston jumped ahead 2-0 in the first inning and added two more in the third to lead 4-2. Then the Panthers found the range, scored two in the top of the fourth, and three more in the top of the seventh for their 8 runs.

Livingston led 5-4 going to the top of the sixth, then Stone scored once to tie the game and added the three runs in the seventh, aided by several LA errors, to win the game.

Carson Parrott was the LA starting pitcher and gave up four runs, only one earned, before giving way to Ledbetter. Ledbetter gave up the additional four runs and was the losing pitcher.

Hayes had only one hit for Livingston but drove in three runs. Cotterman scored twice as did Parrott and had two hits. That set the stage for Friday’s crucial game.

Win and you keep playing, lose and you go home.

Earlier in the season, the Wildcats had defeated the Warriors 8-2 and 3-2 and were hopeful things would again go their way a third time. And they did for four innings, leading 1-0 going to the top of the fifth. In that frame, White County scored six runs and took control of the game. The Warriors added two more in the top of the seventh and despite three runs for the Cats in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings each, they came up one short.

In the bottom of the seventh, Cotterman and Parrott each failed to reach first base. Then with two out, Hayes reached on an error. Dylan York singled, sending Hayes to third, Campbell singled, and Hayes scored, then York scored on a wild pitch. Meanwhile, Campbell was moving around the bases and scored on a pass ball, but from that point on, there were no more Wildcats on base to score.

The game was over.

Drew Goolsby was the starting LA pitcher and went five plus innings and was the losing pitcher. Cotterman finished the game.

For Livingston, it was the final game for Campbell, Cotterman, Parrott, Junior Steele, and York.