Al Ice Memorial Woodbat Classic: Raiders drop to 0-2 in pool

For a team low on pitching, Lawrence Raiders coach Carl Brooks had to be ecstatic about Troy Wingert’s relief effort Friday night  eight strikeouts in 31/3 innings.

“He was great,” Brooks said about the pitcher that shut down the Arkansas City Diamondbacks in the late innings of the Raiders’ second game of the Al Ice Memorial Woodbat Classic at Free State High.

The problem was, the Raiders’ defense committed five errors that aided an Ark City squad that didn’t need the help. The D’backs cranked out 13 hits in an 8-1 rout.

“We’re not a very good defensive team right now,” Brooks said after his squad fell to 12-9 with its second loss in as many days. “We’re shifting a lot of kids in different positions, trying to find a fit. If anyone deserves the blame it’s me.”

While Brooks’ tinkering with the lineup was on his shoulders, it was his players’ miscues that created the majority of the problems  especially in the third when back-to-back-to-back Raider errors fueled a four-run inning for Ark City.

Raiders’ starter Dallas Worley allowed a leadoff walk to Jeff Hoag, who scored two batters later when Josh Howerton torched a shot to the left-field wall.

Things only got worse for Lawrence with two outs in the inning, when Jason Howerton socked an RBI grounder that took a bad bounce over shortstop Matt Berner’s head.

Jeff Hunt followed with a bloop single that dropped behind first base and ricocheted past the foul line. Howerton crossed the plate when Lawrence right fielder Mike Morrell overthrew second base.

On the next play, Raiders’ first baseman Cassidy Thompson made a full-extension stop that might have ended the inning. But Thompson threw an ill-timed toss to a running Worley at first for another error that led to yet another run.

Third baseman Blake Dickson skipped a long throw in the dirt on David Strikely’s grounder, giving Ark City a 5-1 lead.

“It wasn’t a lack of effort,” Brooks said. “They all are trying. We’ve just be in a slump for sure lately.”

But the Raiders, which struggled mightily in their first day of hitting with woodbats, did improve at the plate according to Brooks.

Lawrence tallied nine hits, but Ark City snagged a half-dozen hard-lined shots.

“The bats weren’t the problem,” Brooks said. “There were six to seven times we hit the ball right on the nose, but it went right at them.”

Derek Bailey doubled in the second inning, and Thompson scorched a single down the third base line to even the game.

“I think the hits are going to start falling,” Thompson said. “We’re going to have to play better defensively though.”

The Raiders will get the chance to win their first game of the three-day pool play portion of the tournament today when they face Tulsa, Okla., at 7:30 p.m. when the tournament moves to Kansas University’s Hoglund Ballpark.

But that task might be the toughest challenge for the Raiders because they play host to the Tulsa Memorial Chargers. The defending tourney champs are 2-0 and have allowed only five hits in two games. Tulsa pitcher David McCarty tossed a three-hitter with nine strikeouts on Friday.

“We’re not afraid of anyone,” Brooks said. “We’re going to go out and play our game and try to put a solid offensive and defensive effort together.”