Cougar season ends in sectional

Thursday, May 28, 2015
Senior Cole Payton makes a catch in center field. Payton was the lone senior on the team and will be missed. (Banner Graphic/JOHNATHON GOODE)

ROACHDALE--Wednesday night's sectional opener at North Putnam High School between the North Putnam Cougars and Cascade Cadets resulted in the end of the Cougars' season after falling 12-2 in six innings.

"We told them before the game started that this game was going to come down to the fewest mistakes," Cougar Coach Brian Jeter said. "Cascade didn't make very many and we made a ton. We're a young team and sometimes the young players just don't want to be coached. They've got to learn to trust their coaches a little bit more or this is what is going to happen."

Cascade mounted three runs in the first inning and the Cadets never looked back. This forced starting Cougar pitcher Bobby Scheele to be moved over to first base.

After falling down 4-0 the Cougars cut the lead in half in the top half of the fifth inning. Both freshman Kaine Benge and Hayden Rudes each walked and with the bases loaded after lone senior Cole Payton walked, Scheele came up to bat with two outs. Scheele singled over second base to drive in Benge and Rudes. It was the only Cougar hit of the game given up by Cadet pitcher Nate Stonebraker.

"When we're aggressive with our bats, we can score," Jeter said. "We've been saying all along that if you don't swing you can put a ball into play. I believe we had five backwards Ks, and that's like giving up two innings. That's what I've been telling my kids all year. If you watch strike three you're not going to win a lot of ball games. We did that tonight and that's a direct reflection of them not being coachable.

The Cadets wasted no time earning the lead back after scoring six runs combined off of pitchers Max Haste and Jack Kendall. Of those six runs there were only two hits in the inning, a double by Chase Edwards and a single by Schuyler Hart.

"We've beaten them once this year and they've beaten us," Jeter said. "They put it to us tonight because we made a lot of mistakes. Their bats had nothing to do with it. I mean they scored two on a bunt. That just kind of puts that into play."

After retiring the next three Cougar batters in the top of the sixth inning, the Cadets made their appearance at the plate with the first two batters getting on via a single and a walk. Sophomore Mitch Duncan then came up to the plate and laid down a sacrifice bunt with no outs. Kendall fielded the ball from the pitcher's position and made a throw that went wide of first basemen Cameron Boller. The far went far enough down the baseline that both runners scored from first and second to end the game on a ten run rule.

Payton played his final game Wednesday night and Jeter had a pleasure coaching him. A closer relationship off the field between families made it even more special.

"Cole has been a pleasure and a joy to be around," Jeter said. "His dad and I are close friends. Having him around and some of his antics have been a joy. The kids really enjoyed having him around and he's a heck of a ball player."

Jeter will have seven seniors on his team next year assuming no one leaves and that there are no additions. His speculations are high on this group if they put in the work during the offseason.

"We just told them tonight that baseball is a game you have to play year round or you're not going to continue to be good at it," Jeter said. "Here at North Putnam we haven't had a JV team in two years. That's kind of hurting us. We have to get our numbers back up and this summer we have to practice a couple times a week and continue to hit the ball."

Cascade will play South Putnam Friday night at 5 p.m.

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