MELVERN — The Yates Center Wildcats could not translate their hitting success into wins as they wrapped up the regular season with a pair of losses, 16-6, 14-7, to the Marais Des Cygnes Valley Trojans Monday.
Despite multiple players hitting home runs, the Wildcats failed to keep up with the Trojans.
Yates Center now turns its attention to hosting Southern Lyon County (17-6) in the opening round of the regional tournament.
Yates Center put an early scare in Marais Des Cygnes Valley after jumping out to a 5-0 lead by the third inning, but the Trojans responded with 12 unanswered runs to take the opener.
Senior third baseman Blake Morrison put the Wildcats on the scoreboard in the opening frame with an RBI single, then Yates Center added four more runs in the second inning off a two-RBI double by junior catcher Ben Cook and junior pitcher Evan McVey, who took the loss as starter.
McVey and senior Kage Beck each had two strikeouts.
A double by junior second baseman Colton Burkholder forced a pair of costly errors, extending Yates Center’s lead to 7-1, but the Trojans responded with 14 unanswered runs for the win.
Cook and McVey tied for the team lead in RBIs with two each.
McVey and freshman outfielder Shane Shield tied for the team lead in hits with two each.
In nightcap action, a pair of homers in the opening frame seemed a promising sign for Yates Center.
The Trojans responded with four runs in the first, and 12 runs over the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings.
Following a solo homer by Cook, sophomore Gavin Riles belted a two-run homer to give Yates Center a 3-0 lead.
The Wildcats’ bats then went silent until the fifth inning when they scored three runs off several Marais Des Cygnes Valley miscues.
However, a deficit of nine points at that point was too much for the Wildcats to overcome.
Riles ended the night with a team-leading two RBIs and tied Morrison for the team lead in hits with two each. Cook took the loss and posted a pair of strikeouts over 2 1/3 innings, allowing eight runs on four hits and a walk.
With the loss, the Wildcats’ record fell to 7-15. First pitch for Thursday’s regional opener is at 5 p.m.
