Baseball team opens at Walnut Ridge

It was a slow start to the season for the Cougars, as they fell to host Walnut Ridge, 5-1, to begin the 2010 baseball campaign.

The first inning was rough for the Rector defense, as Walnut Ridge managed a 4-0 lead on four errors. The hosts led off with a walk, securing no hits in the frame.

"We had three throwing errors and a fielding error in the bottom of the first," Cougar skipper Nate Henderson said. "They jumped to a four-point lead without getting a ball out of the infield."

Rector scored their only run of the game in the top of the third when Dan Blackshare singled to center, bringing in Mitchell Weber from second.

Walnut Ridge scored the final run of the contest in the fifth.

Cody Hager took the loss for the Cougars, allowing no earned runs on three hits and three walks. Cory Hager came on in relief in the third, allowing one run on two hits with no runs and three strikeouts.

Cody Hager went 2-3 at the plate, earning a single and a double. Blackshare secured the other Rector hit with his RBI single.

The Cougars are still adjusting as a team, having only had three practices prior to taking the field for a game.

"It's still early," Henderson said. "We're not reading too much into this. Right now, we're just focusing on taking it a day at a time."

Rector will have their home opener at 4 p.m. Thursday when county rival Corning comes to town. The Cougars will visit Lepanto Monday to face East Poinsett County before heading to Piggott for a 4 p.m. Tuesday meeting with the Mohawks.