By MICHAEL MURRAY

The Schley County Wildcats put their undefeated Region 4-A record on the line on March 3, with a home doubleheader against the Dooly County Bobcats. Schley’s boys pulled in a pair of significant wins in the afternoon’s action, beginning with a 15-0 sweep of the Bobcats that lasted only two and a half innings. The Wildcat win was punctuated by a Chance Holloman grand slam.
The Schley crew rode this momentum into the afternoon’s closer, earning an 18-1 victory to cap off the day’s action.
Schley’s boys then traveled to Butler on March 7 to put their skills to the test against the Taylor County Vikings. This time around, it was Reid Ragsdale’s turn to clear the loaded bases with a homerun hit. The bash marked the Wildcats’ second grand slam in three games and helped propel the visitors to a 12-1 victory.
The Wildcats took a break from their region schedule on March 9, traveling to Albany to take on the Deerfield-Windsor Knights. After a tough, back-and-forth battle, the Wildcats eventually suffered a 13-12 loss in the road match.
Following this series of games, the Wildcats jump to 8-2 overall and remain undefeated in the region after five tests.
Schley got off to a blazing start in the March 3 opener.
After holding off Dooly’s offense due, in part, to strong performances on the hill by Hollomon and Ashton Goodin, the Wildcats put 10 runs on the board in the bottom of the first.
The ‘Cats added five more in the second frame before dispatching Dooly’s prospective runners in the third to earn the 15-point shutout.
Will Barry led Schley’s batters in the match, connecting on three hits that netted the team five runs. Cameron Belcher contributed a pair of hits as well. Chase Patrick and Holloman each collected one, with Holloman’s bat bringing in four runs for the ‘Cats.
Holloman and Goodin split duties on the mound, with Goodin striking out four batters in the short match. Holloman sent three back to the dugout.
In total, the Wildcats collected eight hits and gave up none.
The Wildcats fared just as well in the second test of the afternoon, plating eight runners in the first inning. The ‘Cats added 10 more in the second to put the game out of reach, though the Bobcats brought in one runner in the top of the third.
Patrick and Dylan Windham both gained hits for the Wildcats in the tilt as Clint Sellars and Jake Hall each drew a pair of walks.
Once again, Barry led the team’s batters with three RBIs. Trent Bivins brought in one runner.
Schley’s Lorne Barineau put away four batters in two innings of work on the mound before being relieved by Barry, who dispatched two.
From there, it was time for the Schley crew to hit the road for Butler and defend their untarnished region record against the Vikings.
The Wildcats entered the top of the first with a vengeance, with four runners crossing the plate in addition to Ragsdale’s base-clearer to take an early 8-0 lead. The Schley crew tacked on one more run in the third and added three in the top of the fourth to round out their final tally. The Vikings brought in one run in the fifth to lessen the damage and take an 11-run defeat.
Ragsdale’s bat was on fire that afternoon, as he collected four total hits, including his dinger. Hall, Patrick, and Wade Law each connected on one. Ragsdale added four RBIS while Patrick and Hall each brought in a pair of runners.
Barry handled hurling duties for three frames of the five-inning match-up before ceding the mound to Patrick, who closed out the game. Barry put away five batters and Patrick struck out three.
The Wildcats returned to region competition on March 10, hitting the road for Buena Vista to battle the Marion County Eagles. The results of this meeting were not available at press time.
Schley’s boys will return to action on March 14, hosting the Crawford County Eagles.