Hood leads Warriors to fourth at tourney

For the first time, Patoka participated in a season-opening baseball tournament, and the Warriors placed fourth and put on player on the all-tournament team.

Senior Clinton Hood pitched a complete game, allowing two hits and striking out 12, in a season-opening 5-0 win against Edwards County, and in the three-game event, he was 4-for-10, with four doubles and four RBI as Patoka’s leadoff hitter.

That would be the only win for the Warriors during the tournament, however, as Webber Township would win 9-1 and Woodlawn picked up an 8-6 win in the third-place game.

Patkoa had a strong start to last Saturday’s third-place game, scoring three runs on an RBI single by senior John Houston and a two-run single by sophomore Shane Cain.

Senior Johnnie Clift allowed a run in the bottom of the first, but struck out six over the first four innings before Woodlawn had an offensive explosion in the fifth.

The Cardinals broke open the game with a seven-run inning, and Patoka had a chance to regain the lead, but left four runners in scoring position over the final two frames.

In pool play last Wednesday, Patoka managed just one seventh-inning run in the loss to Webber Township.

Patoka hitters struck out 12 times in the game, and had just four hits, with senior Trey Lowery driving home senior Seth Allen in the seventh.

Clift took the loss, striking out eight over his five innings of work and allowing five runs.

Hood was dominant in the season-opening start last Monday, striking out at least two batters in five of the seven innings of Patoka’s 5-0 win.

He was one of three Warriors with a multi-hit game, being joined by Allen and freshman Garrett Belcher as Patoka pounded out eight hits.

In between the final two tournament games, the Warriors had a unique opportunity, taking on Salem at Rent One Park in Marion, the home of the independent Southern Illinois Miners.

Salem got the better of Patoka last Friday with a 13-6 win, but the Warriors got experience on a field they could see again by making a deep postseason run.

The Warriors had four extra-base hits in the game, with a triple by Cain and doubles by Hood, Houston and senior Ryan Miller.

Patoka held a 5-4 lead going to the bottom of the fourth, but Salem put four runs on the board and added five more in the sixth, while allowing the Warriors just one additional run.

Box scores
Friday, March 21
Salem 13
Patoka 6
P: 0-2-1-2-0-1-0—6-8-3
S: 1-3-0-4-0-5-X—13-19-1
WP: Harness; 4 IP, 7 K
LP: Hood (1-1); 5 1/3 IP, 1 K
Warriors: Houston, 2-for-2, 2B, 2 RBI, run; S. Cain, 1-for-3, 3B, run; Hood, 1-for-4, 2B, run; Miller, 1-for-4, 2B, run; Allen, 1-for-3, RBI, run; Clift, 1-for-3, RBI, SB; Mark Herrin, 1-for-4, SB; Lowery, run.
Record: 1-2

Saturday, March 22
Third-place game
Woodlawn 8
Patoka 6
P: 3-0-0-0-0-2-1—6-6-6
W: 1-0-0-0-7-0-X—8-9-1
WP: Lyday; 5 IP, 4 K
LP: Clift (0-2); 5 IP, 8 K
Warriors: Hood, 2-for-3, 2 2B, 2 RBI, run; Houston, 2-for-3, RBI; S. Cain, 1-for-3, 2 RBI; Herrin, 1-for-3, run; Clift, run; Miller, run.
Record: 1-3

Wednesday, March 19
Webber 9
Patoka 1
W: 1-3-0-0-1-2-0—9-10-1
P: 0-0-0-0-0-0-1—1-4-1
WP: Wheeler; 7 IP, 12 K
LP: Clift (0-1); 5 IP, 7 K
Warriors: Lowery, 1-for-3, RBI; S. Cain, 1-for-3; Clift, 1-for-3; Miller, 1-for-3, Allen, run.
Record: 1-1

Monday, March 17
Patoka 5
Edwards County 0
P: 1-0-0-0-0-3-1—5-8-1
E: 0-0-0-0-0-0-0—0-2-1
WP: Hood (1-0); 7 IP, 12 K
LP: Tucker; 7 IP, 14 K
Warriors: Hood, 2-for-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI; Belcher, 2-for-3, run; Allen, 2-for-4; Herrin, 1-for-3, RBI, run; Clift, 1-for-4, 2B, RBI; Miller, run, SB; J. Cain, run; Lowery, run.
Record: 1-0