LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (3/26/26) – The Warren High School baseball team traveled to Little Rock Mills Thursday evening to take part in the Robinson Invitational and came home with two wins over Malvern and Mayflower to improve to 4-4 on the season.
By Dennen Cuthbertson
Saline River News Sports Contributor
The Lumberjacks played two completely different types of games as they took the first game of the evening against Malvern by a score of 16-9 before following up with a 5-3 win over Mayflower. These games were a part of the ninth annual Robinson Invitational that features 100 teams with games being played in 10 locations over three days during Spring Break.
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Warren Registers Eight Extra-Base Hits, Including Homers by Denton and McDiarmid, in Comeback Win Over Malvern
The first game of the evening for Warren was a wild one as the Lumberjacks fell behind 7-1 after the top of the second inning, but outscored Malvern 15-2 the rest of the way in a 16-9 victory in four innings.
The Leopards (5-5) struck first with a two-run homer three batters into the game before Warren got one back in the bottom of the first on a Jude Cathey RBI base knock. However, Malvern extended the lead to 7-1 with all five runs in the frame scoring after the first two batters were retired.
Warren showed plenty of fight with Logan Case scoring on a double steal before Ren Reep hit a triple to score Aceen Jurado to put the score at 7-3. Jackson Denton and Cathey then hit back-to-back RBI doubles to trim the deficit to 7-5. Malvern added a couple of runs in the third inning to stretch the lead back to four runs at 9-5, but a six-run inning gave Warren the lead for good in the bottom of the frame.
The first run of the big third inning scored when Case drove home Ty Hembree with an infield hit and later on Reep cut the Malvern lead to one with a two-run single to make the score 9-8. Cathey then tied the game with an RBI fielder’s choice ahead of a two-run double by Parker O’Neal to give the Jacks an 11-9 edge. Ryan Spears retired the Leopards in order in the top of the fourth to keep the game at 11-9.
Jurado extended the Warren advantage to 12-9 with an RBI single before Tucker McDiarmid laced a three-run home run over the left-field fence for a 15-9 lead. Two batters later, Denton followed with a solo shot of his own to left field. The time limit ended the game in the bottom of the fourth inning with the Jacks claiming a 16-9 victory.
Cathey, Case, and Jurado each had three hits for Warren, while Cathey, McDiarmid, and Reep recorded three RBIs apiece to lead the team. McDiarmid, Denton, Case, and Jurado each crossed home plate three times while Warren only struck out once as a team and walked seven times. O’Neal tossed the first three innings on the mound for Warren, while Spears pitched a perfect fourth inning with two punchouts.
Reep Strikes Out 13 as Warren Holds On to Defeat Mayflower
Lumberjack senior hurler Ren Reep punched out 13 batters in five one-hit innings to lead Warren to a 5-3 victory over Mayflower in the second game of Thursday evening’s slate at Little Rock Mills as a part of the Robinson Invitational.
The Orange and Black’s offense provided Reep with some early run support as McDiarmid scored on a passed ball and Cathey drove home another run home on a groundout in the bottom of the first for a 2-0 advantage. The Eagles (4-4) trimmed the lead to 2-1 on a RBI single after a leadoff walk came around to score in the second inning. The lead moved quickly back to two runs in the bottom of the second when Reep helped himself out with a sacrifice fly to score Jurado.
The score remained 3-1 until Warren put up a couple of important insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth. Jurado singled home Hembree for the first run of the frame while Reep ripped an RBI base knock to score Jurado to push the lead to 5-1.
Spears, who entered the game in the sixth inning on the mound, allowed a one-out single in the top of the seventh before a fly out put Warren a single out away from victory. However, a run scored on a wild pitch to get Mayflower within 5-2 with an error later in the inning pushing the score to 5-3. The next batter walked to bring the go-ahead run to the plate, but a fly out to Jurado in right field sealed the 5-3 win for Warren.
The first batter Reep faced was a groundout to second base with the only other ball being put in play by the Eagles coming on the RBI single in the second inning. Reep did have some traffic on the bases with six walks, but he picked off two runners during the game, including one in the third inning when a runner reached base on a strikeout and wild pitch. Spears finished the game with two innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on one hit with two walks and two strikeouts.
Hembree and Jurado led the Jacks with two hits apiece, while Reep drove in two runs and Jurado scored twice. Warren outhit Mayflower 8-2 in the game.
These were the only two games of the Robinson Invitational that Warren is participating in. The Lumberjacks are scheduled to return to action on Tuesday, March 31 with a conference matchup at Star City. First pitch is set for 5 p.m.
