TimberHogs split pair with Sherman

Published 4:58 pm Wednesday, August 7, 2024

Staff Reports

SHERMAN — The Piney Woods TimberHogs split a pair of Mid America League games with the Sherman Shadowcats on Tuesday, earning an 8-2 win and dropping a 9-7 decision.

The TimberHogs moved to 31-30 in MAL action and sit in third place in the league standings behind Abilene (42-22) and Joplin (34-30).

Sherman is in fifth place at 26-35.

The TimberHogs and Shadowcats were scheduled to play two more games in Sherman on Wednesday. Piney Woods will visit Texarkana on Thursday for a 7:05 p.m. game, and then close out the regular season at home against Texarkana with games at 7:05 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

GAME 1

Gabriel Flores homered and Charles Chatman doubled and drove in two runs to lead the way on offense for the TimberHogs, who trailed 2-1 before scoring twice in the top of the fifth and adding five in the top of the sixth.

A.J. Smith and Juan Murillo drove in runs for Piney Woods, which got a strong pitching outing from Gage Goddard, who went the distance on the hill. He struck out four, walked three and allowed two earned runs in seven innings.

Tanner Reaves had three hits in the loss for Sherman.

GAME 2

Cayden Earnhart homered, Reaves added two hits and three RBI and Easton Ford doubled, singled and drove in two runs to pace the Shadowcats on offense.

Sherman built a 9-3 lead and held on as the TimberHogs scored four times in the sixth to make it interesting.

Murillo homered, singled and drove in a couple of runs for Piney Woods in the loss. Noah Paddie doubled and drove in two runs. Cermodrick Bland added a double and an RBI. A.J. Smith had two hits and an RBI, and Flores also drove in a run.

Ethan Nixon struck out seven, walked three and allowed seven earned runs in seven innings to earn the pitching win for Sherman.

Cade Cunningham fanned two, walked six and was charged with nine earned runs in 4.2 innings on the hill for the TimberHogs.

NOTES: The top four teams according to winning percentage will compete for the championship in a single-elimination competition. The No. 1 seeded team will play the No. 4 seed, while No. 2 will face No. 3. Both winning teams will then play one game with the winner being declared the Mid-America League Champion for 2024 … The semifinal round of games will be played on Tuesday, Aug. 13 with the winning teams vying for the championship on Wednesday, Aug. 14 … All games will be played at Walt Driggers Field on the campus of McMurry University, the summer home of the Mid-America League’s Abilene Flying Bison.