Wildcats lose non-conference game to Astros; fall to Manchester and Peebles on consecutive nights

The Whiteoak Wildcats hosted the East Clinton Astros on Tuesday evening (May 5) where they lost in non-conference action by a 4-1 score at Whiteoak High School. 

WHS trailed 3-0 after three innings with the Astros scoring a run in the top of the second, then they followed with two runs in the third. 

The Wildcats scored their lone run in the bottom of the fourth as Lucas Pollard crossed the plate. Pollard had both Whiteoak hits in the loss, finishing 2-for-4 with the run, and three steals. 

ECHS added one final run in the top of the sixth inning for the three-run win over the Wildcats. 

The Astros finished with four hits and one error, and WHS ended the contest with five errors. 

Other totals for Whiteoak included Izayah Clift with a walk and two steals, while teammate Abe Flader had two walks and one stolen base. The Wildcats also saw Christian Hite force two walks and steal three bases. 

Kellan Limon drew a walk against East Clinton. Also with a walk was Gabe Michael. 

On the mound Gabe Michael pitched three innings where he allowed two earned runs on two hits and four walks with three strikeouts. Jude Michael pitched four innings for Whiteoak as he allowed no earned runs on two hits and two walks with two strikeouts. 

BOX SCORE
ECHS    012 001 0 — 4 4 1 
WHS     000 100 0 — 1 2 5

The Whiteoak Wildcats lost consecutive Southern Hills Athletic Conference games to wrap up the conference schedule with losses to Manchester and Peebles on Thursday and Friday, 

The two losses leave both Peebles and Manchester as the SHAC Division II champions, with Whiteoak in third place (8-5), Fairfield in fourth (6-7) and Fayetteville (5-7) as Fayetteville has one conference game remaining. 

On Thursday (May 7) the Wildcats lost to the Manchester Greyhounds, 6-2 at MHS. Manchester led 1-0 after the first inning, but WHS tied the score at 1-1 with a run in the top of the third. Manchester regained the lead with three runs in the bottom of the third for a 4-1 advantage. 

Whiteoak came back with a run in the top of the fifth, but Manchester answered with two more runs in the bottom of the inning for what was the final 6-2 score as the sixth and seven innings no runs scored. 

WHS finished the contest with three hits and no errors, and Manchester had nine hits and two errors. 

Hits for the Wildcats included Christian Hite at 1-for-3 with two runs, a walk, and two steals. Jacob Kiley was 1-for-4 with an RBI. Jonah Michael finished 1-for-3 with a walk. 

Lucas Pollard collected an RBI, a walk and a steal. Karson Arey walked once, while teammate Caden Butler also forced a walk and he also had a steal. Abe Flader drew two walks and had two steals. Gabe Michael also had a walk. 

Izayah Clift pitched six innings, with seven strikeouts. 

For Manchester, Luke Applegate was 2-for-3 with two runs and a steal. Also with two hits was Clayton Colvin was 2-for-3 with a run, two RBI and two steals. 

BOX SCORE
WHS    001 010 0 — 2 3 0 
MHS    103 020 x — 6 9 2 

On Friday (May 8), the Whiteoak Wildcats were defeated by the Peebles Indians at Whiteoak High School by a 10-5 score. 

The SHAC game was scoreless after two innings as a share of the SHAC Division II championship was on the line. Then came the third where WHS took a 2-1 lead, and after another two scoreless innings in the fourth and fifth, the entire landscape of the game changed. 

The top of the sixth saw the Greyhounds score nine runs for a 10-2 lead. WHS responded with three runs in the bottom of the seventh, but the deficit was too big to overcome.

Abe Flader finished 2-for-3 with two runs, one walk, and two steals. Jonah Michael finished 1-for-2 with two RBI, a double, a SAC fly and a steal. 

Lucas Pollard finished 1-for-3 with two RBI, and a HBP. 

Izayah Clift scored a run, and teammate Christian Hite scored two runs, walked twice, and stole a base. Jacob Kiley collected an RBI, while Gabe Michael forced a walk and finished with a steal. 

Karson Arey pitched 5.2 innings, allowing two earned runs with two strikeouts. Jonah Michael pitched 1.1 innings, allowing no earned runs with one strikeout. 

For Peebles, Nash Grooms, Bo Johnson and Braylen Stephens each had two hits. Johnson also pitched five innings, where he allowed one earned run, three hits and three walks with eight strikeouts. 

Also for PHS, Luke Schmus pitched two innings where he allowed two earned runs on one hit and one walk with two strikeouts. 

WHS ends the SHAC season at 8-5, and they currently have a 10-14 overall record. 

BOX SCORE
PHS    001 009 0 — 10 9 2
WHS    002 000 3 — 5 4 3