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July 25, 2006 - 07:30 PM
Cardinals Cap Awesome State Tournament with 2nd Place Finish
July 21, 2006 - 11:55 PM
After defeating Hector 7-2 in the first game of a double-header, the Cardinals tried to do it again in the State Championship Final game. Down 4-0 early, the Cardinals battled back just as they have all year to trail by one 6-5 after 5 innings. The game ended with the tying run on 3rd and the winning run at the plate.
Back to back home runs in the 1st inning gave Hector a 4-0 lead. With 1 out in the 2nd, Cardinals' 3rd baseman Alex Mitchell went way back onto the outfield grass to make a difficult catch look easy on a blooper down the 3rd base line by Hector leadoff hitter Trent Mosley. In the 4th with one out, Cardinals' cleanup hitter Ian Mayfield singled, stole 2nd and 3rd, and scored on Alex Mitchell's single to cut the lead to 4-1. Hector added 2 more runs in the 4th for a 6-1 lead. In the 5th, Cardinals' right fielder Josh Sunwall started a rally with a single to left field and scored on a double to the center field fence by leadoff batter Dale Abraham for a 6-2 score. After Donovan Mills drew a walk, Abraham stole home on a 3rd strike that the catcher missed to make it 6-3. Clutch hitter Alex Mitchell cut the lead to one at 6-5 when he doubled to shallow right to score Mills and Mayfield. In the bottom of the 5th, Hector cleanup hitter Matt Pruitt was thrown out at 3rd when catcher Ian Mayfield threw to Alex Mitchell to thwart the steal attempt for out number 2 of the inning. The Cardinals threatened once more in the 6th when pinch runner James Simms, representing the tying run, stole 2nd and 3rd and was in position to score when the game ended.
Alex Mitchell had a game high 3 hits on 3 for 3 hitting, and Dale Abraham added 2 hits. RBI leaders were Alex Mitchell with 3, and Abraham and Mayfield had 1 each. Simms, Sunwall, Abraham, and Mayfield had the most stolen bases in the game with 2 each. Mayfield scored twice for the Cardinals, and Abraham, Sunwall, and Mills scored once.
The Cardinals finished the State Tournament in 2nd place with a 7-2 record. Both losses were by one run and both were to teams that the Cardinals defeated in the State Tournament. The Cardinals defeated Hector 7-2 and the Dardanelle Tigers 3-2. The Cardinals finished a marvelous season as Little Oaks Champions with a 4-0 record, Reel League Champions at 17-0, District Champions at 4-1, State Runner-Up at 7-2, and had an overall record of 28-3, excluding pre-season games played under non AABA rules.
Cardinals Stun Hector 7-2 To Force Final State Championship Game
July 21, 2006 - 11:55 PM
The Cardinals jumped out to an early 3 run lead and stunned Hector 7-2. Donovan Mills pitched a masterful game and let his strong defense work for him. Mills, pitching in his 2nd State Championship game, walked none, allowed 5 hits, and struck out 5 on the way to getting a complete game win. The visiting Cardinals got the scoring started when shortstop Alex Mitchell forced in Mills on a bases loaded walk. Jared Staton worked to a full count before walking to score Brandon Schmidt. First baseman Zach Mitchell hit a shot to right field to score Mayfield and give the Cardinals a 3-0 lead. Hector leadoff hitter Trent Mosley scored in the bottom of the 1st, but Hector's threat was ended on a double play by Cardinals' center fielder Dale Abraham. Hector 3rd baseman Cole Allen hit a deep line drive, but Abraham used his speed to run it down at the fence on a spectacular play that saved 2 runs. After the catch, Abraham threw to shortstop Donovan Mills at 2nd base to catch Hector 1st baseman Austin Colburn off base and end the Hector threat. Cardinals' 2nd baseman Jordan Deaton scored in the 2nd on a single from Schmidt to give the Cardinals a 4-1 lead. Hector brought in their hard-throwing ace #14 Matt Pruitt to pitch in the top of the 3rd. With 1 on and 1 out in the 3rd, Cardinals' 3rd baseman Brandon Schmidt gloved a hard grounder to retire Hector 2nd batter Clint Rook. Then, center fielder Dale Abraham caught a high fly ball at the right-center field fence from Hector's Colburn to end the inning. After Hector cleanup hitter Matt Pruitt homered to lead off the 4th, Cardinals' 2nd baseman Jordan Deaton made a big play when he caught a grounder in the hole behind first to retire Hector hitter Cole Allen for out number 1. Pitcher Mills fielded a bunt down the 1st base line and made an off-balance throw to Zach Mitchell at 1st for the 2nd out. With 1 out in the 5th, Cardinals' shortstop Alex Mitchell fielded a hot 2 hopper and made a good throw to 1st to rob leadoff hitter Mosley of a hit and keep the score at 4-2 Cardinals. With one out, leadoff hitter Abraham, after fouling off 5 pitches, was hit in the leg by Hector pitcher Pruitt. Mills followed with a single. After Schmidt reached base, catcher Mayfield doubled to deep right-center to score Mills and give the Cardinals a 6-2 lead. Alex Mitchell rounded out the scoring with an RBI single to right field for a 7-2 Cardianls' advantage. With one out in the 6th, Cardinals' left fielder Jared Staton made an outstanding play to catch a deep fly on the foul line at the fence to rob Pruitt of a hit. The outstanding defensive player of the game was Dale Abraham, who made 3 difficult catches in center field. The Cardinal offense was paced by Donovan Mills who went 4 for 4, with a double and 3 singles, and Zach Mitchell, who had 3 singles on 3 for 3 hitting. The stolen base leaders were Mills with 3, Schmidt with 2, and Abraham with 1. Mills and Schmidt both scored twice for the Cardinals. With the win, the Cardinals knocked Hector from the ranks of the unbeaten and forced a final State Championship Game to be played at 8:00 pm today.
Cardinal Win Semi-Final 4-3 in Heart-Stopper in Extra Innings
July 20, 2006 - 11:40 PM
In the State Tournament semi-final game against Mt. Vernon, the Cardinals once again refused to lose. The game had everything, including huge momentum swings, questionable calls, big play after big play, but mainly excitement and heroes. In the 1st inning, Cardinals' right fielder Josh Sunwall made a super catch near the fence on a long drive from Mt. Vernon catcher Kyle Brewer for the 2nd out of the inning. In the Cardinals' 1st, Donovan Mills hit a one out single and advanced to 2nd on a balk and 3rd on a stolen base. Brandon Schmidt got the RBI single to score Mills for a 1-0 Cardinals lead. In the 2nd, Mt. Vernon cleanup hitter Jonathan Shadell hit one to the right field fence, but he was retired by hustle and a great throw from Sunwall to cutoff man Mills who threw to 3rd base where Schmidt applied the tag for the 1st out of the inning. Catcher Ian Mayfield made the final out of the inning by making an outstanding catch on a popup between home and the pitcher's mound to retire Mt. Vernon's first baseman Cody Masterson. With an out in the 3rd, pitcher Alex Mitchell fanned Mt. Vernon's right fielder Zac Kilpatrick on a nice curve over the outside corner of the plate. Mt. Vernon scored 2 in the 4th to take a 2-1 lead. With the same score and 1 out in the 6th, the Cardinals' Ian Mayfield drew a walk and stole 2nd base. Then, with 2 outs and the pressure on, Cardinals' left fielder Jared Staton launched a towering home run over the left-center field fence to put the Cardinals up 3-2. Mt. Vernon's Kyle Brewer scored to tie the game in the bottom of the 6th. Cardinals' first baseman Zach Mitchell made a game-saving stop on a grounder down the line that took a bad hop from Mt. Vernon's Cameron Caudill and stepped on 1st to send the game into extra innings. The Cardinals' Jordan Deaton got a 1 out triple on a shot to the right field fence. With 2 outs, Relief pitcher Brandon Schmidt smashed a line drive to the center field fence that allowed Deaton to score the go-ahead run. Left fielder Jared Staton made a spectacular defensive play when he was in position to back up a throw to 3rd and then threw a stike to catcher Ian Mayfield at home plate to make the game-ending out and prevent Mt. Vernon's Zac Kilpatrick from tying the game. Ian Mayfield led the Cardinals with 2 stolen bases, and Brandon Schmidt added one. Schmidt had a game high 2 hits and struck out 4 in relief to get the win. Starting pitcher Alex Mitchell held Mt. Vernon to 2 hits while striking out 4 and walking none. The Cardinals now advance to the State Championship game against Hector tomorrow at 6:00 in Dover. It will be the Cardinals fifth game in 7 days, all on the road.
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