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Wildcats battery no-hits two teams

By Staff | Apr 8, 2009

THERE IS NO HITTING IN BASEBALL — Malakai Anderson hurls a pitch towards home plate during the Wildcats game against Beallsville on Wednesday. It was the first of two no-hitters by the Paden City pitching staff on the week.

The weather didn’t rain on Paden City’s baseball parade this past week as they were winners in five of six games over that stretch.

The one team that did defeat the Wildcats (Parkersburg Catholic) turned around and lost to them in the bottom end of a double-header. Other wins came against the Bridgeport Bulldogs, Beallsville Blue Devils, Hundred Hornets, and Valley Lumberjacks.

The first of the aforementioned came against Bridgeport in an OVAC conference clash.

Both teams scored early but it was only the ‘Cats that scored often, plating runs in each of the first four innings. Three came in the first with one each following in the next three.

Bridgeport answered in the second with three runs and one in the fourth, but couldn’t match the firepower of the Wildcats offense overall.

Three more runs were scored in the top of the sixth for Paden City before the Bulldogs two runs in their last at bat set up a 9-6 final score.

Wes Cosper picked up the win pitching 6 1/3 innings with six strikeouts. At the plate, he had two hits and two RBIs. Ryan Thoburn came on in relief to retire the final two batters via strikeout and picked up the save in the process.

Malakai Anderson added two doubles, Chaz Heasley went 2-4 with a double and an RBI, and Josh Bennett added a double and an RBI. Loy also singled for the ‘Cats.

The Wildcats returned to Paden City on Wednesday to face Beallsville, an impromptu home game as a result of the weather making the Devils’ field unplayable.

Not only did the ‘Cats ignore the weather, but they had a field day with the visitors in a no-hit bid by Malakai Anderson and scoring 13 runs in the mercy-rule inflicted five inning game.

Anderson fanned over half of the Blue Devils batters with nine. He allowed only two base runners the entire game, both of which came in the first inning. From there he was nearly flawless.

The offense easily took care of the scoring with five runs in the first and third and three coming in the second.

Ricky Wright provided some excitement with a home run blast in the third. He finished 2-3 with two RBIs.

Other leading hitters included Ryan Thoburn who went 1-2 with a double and two RBIs, Wes Cosper who went 1-2 with a double and an RBI, Chaz Heasley with an RBI on a single, Chris Loy who singled and tallied two RBIs, and Keith Kline who blasted a shot to the fence and rounded the bases for a triple and an RBI.

The Hundred Hornets were the next Wildcats victim on Thursday in a Mason-Dixon conference game.

Paden City flexed its muscles once again in the early going scoring five runs in the first and another in the second.

The ‘Cats then hit some turbulence allowing the Hornets to score one in the top of the fourth, but responded by scoring seven runs in their next at bat.

After shutting out Hundred in the fifth, the mercy rule took effect and Paden City remained undefeated.

Ryan Thoburn picked up the win with eight strikeouts. Anderson helped immensely with two doubles, two singles and three RBIs.

Cosper added a single with two RBIs, Wrights added two singles with an RBI, and Heasley added a single and three RBIs.

After a day off, the Wildcats traveled to Wood County to battle the Parkersburg Catholic Crusaders in a doubleheader. In Game 1, they received a rude awakening as the hosts knocked starting pitcher Wes Cosper and subsequently Chaz Heasley for a 12-run first.

The Crusaders added two more in the second and one in the fourth as insurance runs.

The usually strong and dominant Wildcats offense were held to just six hits.

Thoburn went 2-3 with an RBI, Cosper hit 2-3 with a double, Wright went 1-3 with a double and an RBI, and Loy doubles.

Paden City’s runs came in the second and fifth, but by that time it was too late as the first inning paved the way for a 15-2 win by Catholic.

Game 2 was an entirely different ball game literally and figuratively.

Again the Crusaders score in the first, but that was about the only thing similar between the two games.

Paden City’s offense came back to life and scored two runs in the second and three in the third. After Parkersburg Catholic came back to make a game of it with two runs in the third and a scoreless fourth, Paden City put the game out of reach with a nine-run fifth inning to make it 14-3.

The Crusaders added a run in the fifth, but couldn’t score any more to avoid the 10-run rule and Paden City improved to 9-1.

Wright went 2-3 with a double and two RBIs to lead the ‘Cats. Anderson was 1-3 with two runs scored. Cosper (2), Thoburn (1), and Mitchell Stewart (1) added four RBIs and Loy went 2-4 with an RBI.

The Valley Lumberjacks became the most recent squad to fall to the Wildcats.

Paden City once again overpowered their opponent with a mercy-ruled game with a score of 10-0, but perhaps the most impressive statistic was that another Wildcats pitcher threw a no-hitter in the week.

This time the no-hit bid went to Josh Bennett who sat down 12 ‘Jacks batters in the chilly game beside the Ohio River.

Thoburn belted a shot over the right-centerfield fence to lead the Paden City sticks. Cosper added a triple and an RBI, followed by Wright with two singles and two RBIs, Heasley with a single and two RBIs, Bennett with a double and RBI, and Loy with a double and two RBIs. Bennett helped his cause with a double and RBI.

Not even a week into April and the Wildcats already have reached double digits in the win column while losing only one.

They will try and continue their success this week against Tyler Consolidated at home today, at Hundred on Thursday, and against Linsly in a doubleheader on Saturday.