By Tyler F. Thompson (OzarksSportsZone.com)
The rain continued its onslaught throughout the Ozarks Monday, forcing a venue change to Drury’s field turf complex for the Class 1 sectional as the Halfway Cardinals (25-9) and the Billings Wildcats (15-4 ) went toe-to-toe for the chance to advance to the state quarterfinals.
One by one, Halfway starting hurler Max McCarthy kept the Wildcats’ bats at bay in the 8-0 final.
McCarthy struck out five in 5 2/3 innings and allowed four hits on a night where finding a location for the game was step one for Billings and Halfway personnel.
“We had to find a place to play. We are gracious to Drury for letting us come out and play. And to Billings for getting it put together. We thought it wasn’t going to rain all night,” skipper Eric Ingram said with a chuckle. “Neither one of us were expecting that.”
Slick conditions made for a less-than-favorable baseball.
“Super proud of the guys. Just to go out. The ball is slick. Getting slicker late in the game. The surface is slick. It is playoff baseball. We needed to get it in tonight. The boys came out and gave all of their heart and effort,” said effort.
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McCarthy was on point, hitting his locations and serving as the aggressor.
“Max is a gamer. For him to come out, and we had a contingency plan of getting him through the lineup once or twice, if they hit him or he struggled,” Ingram said.
But he didn’t struggle. And they didn’t him.
“He owned it. We let him have it,” Ingram said. “He threw a heck of a game. Super proud of him. They [Billings] have a lineup over there that puts up runs.”
Entering the game, Billings averaged eight runs per game while allowing five.
The Cardinals are plating 9.2 runs per game while allowing four.
Offensively, everything changed in the fourth inning, when eight players stepped into the box for the Cardinals — who swiped bags, laid down effective bunts and took advantage of some Billings miscues.
The Cardinals plated their first run on a passed ball. One wild pitch later led to the second run.
Two more runs crossed on an infield error and the Cardinals were flying, 4-0.
McCarthy even helped his own cause as he sized up the fastball and connected for the RBI triple, making it 5-0.
Another wild pitch led to another run in the fifth.
In the sixth, Laney drove in one run on his single.
While the conditions were less than ideal, McCarthy said he still had a great time on the bump.
“I really wanted to stay out there,” McCarthy said of his sixth-inning exit. “It got hard for a second. The ball was hard. Trust my team to make plays. It was a great game.”
In the sixth, Laney came in for 1 1/3 innings, striking out two and not allowing a hit.
The Cardinals will play Wheatland in the Class 1 quarterfinals on Wednesday.
