Cougars notch vitories over Bobcats, Warriors

Cody Hager winds up for the pitch as Mitchell Weber gets ready at third. [Click to enlarge]

The Cougars picked up their first conference win Monday, topping host East Poinsett County 13-1 in Lepanto.

Rector imposed their will upon the hosting club, dominating the game in the field and at the plate.

Cory Hager picked up the win, allowing one run on three hits with five strikeouts and three walks in five innings of work.

Zack Trayler and Dustin Smith led the Cougar offense, finishing 3-3 each at the plate. Trayler added three RBIs and scored three runs, including an impressive inside-the-park homerun. Smith batted in a pair and scored twice. Also hitting for the Cougars were Dustin Sparks 2-3 with 2 RBIs, Cody Hager 2-3 with 2 RBIs, Clinton Haley 1-2 with 2 RBIs, Cory Hager 1-3 with an RBI, Mitchell Weber 1-3 with an RBI, Daniel Blackshare 1-2 with an RBI and Shawn Laxton 1-3.

"That was a nice win for us," Rector skipper Nate Henderson said. "We came out ready to play and didn't really make many mistakes. I thought we looked relaxed out there and just went out and played baseball."

The victory improved the Cougars to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in 2A-3 play.

Corning Win

The Cougars welcomed the Corning Bobcats to Rector for their home opener on Thursday, coming away with a 4-3 win.

The Cougars got to work early, taking a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Blackshare, the leadoff hitter, hit a single and then stole second to start things. Blackshare came home for the first score of the afternoon when Sparks singled to right. Later in the inning, Trayler singled to right, bringing in Sparks and advancing Haley, who got a free bag after being hit by a pitch, to third. A chopper to third sent Smith to first and brought Haley home.

The visitors scored two in the second, including a solo shot by Zack Ballard to start the frame. Ballard would tie the game up with a base hit in the third.

Rector scored the go-ahead run in the fourth, as Sparks singled to right to bring home Daniel White, who was pinch-running for Laxton. Laxton started the inning with a double, and moved to third on a bunt by Blackshare.

Trayler picked up the win in relief, retiring 11 consecutive Corning batters to close out the game. Trayler allowed one run on two hits while striking out six. Cody Hager looked strong to start the game for Rector, but ran into some trouble in the second.

Sparks stood out at the plate, finishing 2-3 with two RBIs. Also hitting for the Cougars were Trayler 1-3 with an RBI, Smith 1-3 with an RBI, Cody Hager 1-2, Blackshare 1-3 and Laxton 1-3.

Early on, it looked as if Rector was going to run away with the game. Corning refused to go away quietly, though, and the hosts soon found themselves in a battle.

"I thought we did a good job of keeping our heads up and fighting for the win," Henderson said. "When they came back on us, we could've rolled over, but we didn't. We stuck it out and picked up a good win."

Henderson noted the effort by Trayler.

"He came in and did a real good job on the mound. That's a tough situation to come into, not knowing that you're going to be pitching, but he just went out there and threw strikes and took care of business."

Rector was slated to visit Piggott Tuesday, but the game was called due to field conditions. The Cougars are set to visit Cross County in Cherry Valley at 4 p.m. Thursday before hosting Riverside at 4:30 p.m. Monday.