Loyd Star dampens Cathedral playoff hopes

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, March 29, 2000

It’s been 13 years since Cathedral High’s baseball team sat out the postseason. Loyd Star’s 11-1 win over the Green Wave Tuesday put a damper on Cathedral’s playoff plans for this year.

&uot;We’re definitely in a hole,&uot; said Cathedral coach Ken Beesley. &uot;We need St. Andrews to beat Loyd Star and we have to win out.&uot;

The loss dropped the Green Wave to 8-8 overall, but more importantly 2-2 in Division 6-2A.

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Loyd Star, 15-3, is 3-1 in division play, while St. Andrews, which defeated Cathedral last week, is unbeaten in 6-2A.

&uot;That was a very important game to win,&uot; said Loyd Star coach Andrew Hart.

The Hornets collected 15 hits on the night, while Loyd Star pitcher Seth Lofton held the Green Wave to five hits, all singles.

&uot;We gave them too many opportunities,&uot; Beesley said. &uot;We made a couple of errors and you can’t let a team that hits the ball like that have another chance.&uot;

Loyd Star scored one run in the first inning as Chase Coley led off with a double and stole home with two outs.

The Hornets added six in the second as Justin Ratcliffe reached on an error, Deke Purdy doubled, Coley singled, Seth Britt was hit by a pitch, Jason Miles singled, Ada, Speeg tripled and Brad Pitt singled.

&uot;We haven’t been getting the two-out hits all year,&uot; Hart said. &uot;We’ve left a lot of people on base.&uot;

Cathedral’s only run came in the fourth as Charlie Norris singled, advanced on a passed ball and scored on a single by Key Smith.

Loyd Star got that run back in the top of the fifth on singles by Purdy, Coley and Britt.

Jeremi Hardy and Ben Eidt walked to start off Cathedral’s fifth, but the Green Wave were unable to score any runs.

&uot;We had opportunities to get back in the ballgame, but we couldn’t get the hit when we needed it,&uot; Beesley said. &uot;If we could have got a couple of runs in the early innings we may have been able to make a game of it. But we need somebody to step up and get that big hit.&uot;

The Hornets scored three in the seventh as Britt singled, Lofton homered over the left field fench, Miles doubled and Pitt singled.

Hardi and Smith had four of Cathedral’s six hits.

&uot;Jeremy and Key hit the ball well,&uot;&160;Beesley said. &uot;The bottom of our order did a good job at the plate.&uot;

Stephen Bush was saddled with the loss for Cathedral, which hosts Vidalia High Friday.