Bobcats rally past Atkins for 2nd straight win

In his first year as head coach of the Berryville High School baseball team, Shawn Caldwell says the Bobcats won’t stop fighting till the final out in every game.

The Bobcats backed up their coach’s promise on Friday, March 10, rallying for an 8-6 victory over Atkins at the Berryville Sports Complex.

Berryville trailed 5-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, but scored three runs in that inning and four more in the sixth to win despite being held to four hits.

“The guys fought and really showed some resiliency,” said Caldwell, who was an assistant coach for the Bobcats last season. “They showed a little grit and a little toughness. We put some pressure on Atkins and they started panicking a little bit. We started putting the ball in play.”

Berryville got solid pitching from starter Ashton Blok and reliever Brady Smith. Working on a pitch count, Blok went four innings. He struck out seven batters and allowed three hits and two earned runs. Smith pitched the final three innings, striking out five batters without giving up an earned run.

It was the second consecutive victory for Berryville (2-1), which defeated Life Way Christian 2-0 at home on Tuesday, March 7. Starting pitcher Chris Hipps didn’t allow a hit before leaving with two outs in the fifth inning because of a pitch count. Hipps struck out eight batters. Aspen Linz took over for one out before D.J. Colbert pitched the final two innings for the Bobcats.

Linz had two of Berryville’s five hits while Colbert drove in Berryville’s second run with a fourth-inning single.

Berryville will host Pottsville on Tuesday before traveling to Greenland on Thursday.

“We’ll have a real test against Pottsville Tuesday night,” Caldwell said. “They’re pretty good. They’re a really good offensive team, so we’re going to have to pitch well.”