HAMBURG, Ark. – The Warren baseball team looked great through two complete innings, but couldn’t hold a 4-0 lead as the team suffered an 8-6 setback at Hamburg Thursday evening to snap the eight-game win streak for the Jacks.
Dennen Cuthbertson
Saline River Chronicle Sports Contributor
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The Lumberjacks are 14-5 overall and fall to 8-3 in 4A-8 Conference play, while the Lions will finish league play with a 7-5 mark and improve to 12-5 overall. Warren is now tied atop the conference with Crossett at 8-3. Crossett plays Star City tomorrow and the Jacks are scheduled to travel to Stuttgart on Monday, April 29.
The game started out well for Warren when Kolby Pope led off with a double and Jackson Denton walked. Hamburg tallied the next out, but a walk by Ervin Rivera and Bryson Harris RBI hit-by-pitch put the Jacks on top 1-0. Another bases-loaded walk by Ren Reep followed to push the score to 2-0. However, the Orange and Black left the bases loaded with back-to-back strikeouts.
A perfect bottom of the first for Pope on the mound kept it 2-0 and the Jacks extended the lead to 4-0 when Nathan Spears belted a two-run homer. Pope put another zero on the scoreboard and kept Warren in front 4-0.
However, the Lions got to Pope in the third frame for three runs to climb within 4-3. The Lumberjacks would add one run in the fourth on an RBI single by Spears to make it 5-3, but the home team scored on an RBI double to get back within one run. Hamburg would add another run in the fifth inning to knot the score at 5-5.
The Jacks were retired in order in the sixth inning and the Lions pushed three runs across the plate to earn an 8-5 lead. Spears reached on an error in the top of the seventh and scored on an RBI single by Reep to get Warren within 8-6 with two outs, but a pop up to second base clinched an 8-6 win for Hamburg.
Pope pitched into the sixth inning and allowed six earned runs (seven total) on eight hits with nine strikeouts against two walks. Rivera allowed one run in his inning of work. Spears led the team’s offensive effort with two hits, including a home run, and three RBIs. Reep drove in two runs, while Spears and Tucker McDiarmid each scored twice.
Warren, who has already clinched a spot in the regional tournament, concludes the regular season Monday, April 29. The Jacks travel to Stuttgart and begin play at 5 p.m.
