Noah Matheson was dominant on the mound, as the hurler rang up 10 strikeouts in Rison Wildcats 4-0 victory over McGehee Owls on Friday. Matheson allowed one hit and zero runs over five innings.
The win gives the Wildcats the 1 seed in the 3A Region 4 tournament next week in Ashdown, and their first district championship in 21 years. Rison head coach Chad Cope spoke about the victory following the game.
Rison got on the board in the first inning after Lawson Kidd scored on an error by the Owls
A dropped third strike extended the Wildcats lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the third inning.
Drake Brown began the game for McGehee Owls. The right-handed pitcher surrendered three hits and four runs (two earned) over four and one-third innings, striking out 10 and walking seven.
Kidd, Matheson, and Ayden Laws each collected one hit for Rison Wildcats Varsity. Additionally, the Wildcats amassed seven walks for the game. Andrew Couture and James Lee Jacobs led the team with two free passes each. Couture and Kidd each stole multiple bases the Wildcats.
Rison also ran wild on the base paths, tallying seven stolen bases for the game.
Defensively, the Wildcats didn’t commit a single error in the field. Jacobs had the most chances in the field with 12.
The Wildcats honored seven seniors before the game on senior night. Cope said they were a huge part of helping to lay a foundation for a successful baseball program at Rison.
The game was called at the end of the fifth inning due to rain and deteriorating field conditions. Cope gave his thoughts on how the game ended.
