It was a sunny first day back at school after the spring break, and the Paris baseball Eagles played a non-conference game at home versus Mulberry. The Eagles, winners of their last game before the break against conference foe Cossatot River, were looking to gain some momentum against Mulberry before two important conference games with Charleston and Hackett that are scheduled this week.
The Eagles’ game with Mulberry was an early season Senior Night for the team to insure that the seniors would be recognized in case of any downturn in the COVID epidemic and possible cancellation of games. Last year, the 2020 baseball seniors were denied their moment of recognition due to the season being cancelled very early in the season. This year, Eagles coach Josh Hart wanted to make sure the same thing did not happen to this year’s seniors.
So, on Senior Night, it was only fitting that senior Cagen Knoles got the start on the mound versus Mulberry. The left hander, undoubtedly nervous from his spot start opportunity on Senior Night, worked his way into a bases loaded jam in the top of the first inning. But the senior quickly settled down and was able to work himself out of the inning without giving up a run. Then, the Eagles came to the plate in the bottom of the first.
The Eagles came to bat in the bottom of the first, and one hour and two minutes later, after sending 18 hitters to the plate, the Eagles finally ended the first inning. Paris scored 14 runs in the first, and the route was on.
But unfortunately for Mulberry, it did not end there. In the a short top of the second inning, Paris returned to bat in the bottom of the second and sent ten batters to the plate. Mulberry pitching struggled all afternoon, and the Eagles capitalized on virtually every opportunity from wild pitches, hit batters, passed balls, and infield errors.
With the Eagles leading 18-0 and coming to bat in the bottom of the third inning, the teams and the umpire crew agreed to end the game. The 4:30 p.m. game ended at approximately 6:15 p.m., having played just 2.5 innings.
It was the right decision to make to end the game after less than three innings. The game was out of reach, and neither team needed to risk injury or to use additional pitching in the game. Paris will play an important game today versus conference rival Charleston and will again host another big conference game on Thursday when the Hackett Hornets come to Paris. So, it is a big week for Paris, and all of their resources and availability will be needed in both conference games against tough opponents.
Game time for today’s Paris baseball game with Charleston has been moved to 5 p.m. Across campus, the Lady Eagles will also be hosting the Charleston Lady Tigers in conference softball play, and that game will also start at 5 p.m. Both games can be heard on the internet livestream, thesportsbrew.net. Broadcasts for both games will begin today at 4:30 p.m.
Additional photos from the Eagles game with Mulberry are available on Facebook at Paris Eagles Sports. All photos are free for viewing and copying.
Resident Press will be in Paris today to cover the Lady Eagles softball game with Charleston. Catch the coverage of this game in tomorrow afternoon’s online edition of Resident Press. RP will cover the baseball Eagles again on Thursday when they host Hackett.
The weather is perfect for baseball and softball, and both teams are exciting to watch! So bring your lawn chairs, your headphones, and attend one game and listen to the other on the sports brew!
See you at the ballpark!
