Eupora’s baseball season is off to a slow start in the first week of action as the team took on some tough competition in Ethel and Houston and couldn’t find a win in the three contests.
The season opener at home against the Ethel Tigers started strong for the Eagles but the late innings would haunt the Eagles. Eupora got out to a six-run lead early in the game but gave up 10 runs in fifth inning and the floodgates opened for Ethel in a 20-10 win.
The Eagles managed to score four runs in the first and would lead by as much as 7-1 in the fourth inning before the wheels fell off. Six hits, Five walks and two hit batters later, Ethel had taken a 11-7 lead in the sixth. It jumped to 17-7 the next inning but the Eagles kept the game alive with three runs in the sixth but Ethel would come back and push the lead right back out.
Eupora had 10 hits in the game with Jacob Surma, Cole Cummings and Jacob Crimm getting two hits each. Surma had two RBI. Landry Winter gave the team a good start with just one hit and one run in the first 3.0 innings along with three walks and seven strikeouts, but things unraveled when he left.
The last four pitchers gave up 12 hits, 19 runs and 10 walks while striking out just four batters.
The second matchup would play out similarly. The Eagles scored two runs in the first and had four runs in the first three innings but couldn’t keep Ethel off of the board. The Tigers managed to score three runs in four of the first five innings to jump out to an 8-4 lead and two more runs in the bottom of the sixth allowed for a run-rule 14-4 win.
Eupora pitching surrendered 14 runs while walking 13 batters and giving up eight hits. Ames Conrad had a 2-for-4 game with one RBI, but the rest of the team had just one hit combined and struck out eight times. Conrad had two doubles and Winter had the team’s only other hit with a double as well.
A third-straight double-digit loss came on Saturday when the Eagles hosted Houston. The Hilltopppers won 15-4 in five innings after scoring five runs in the first and eight in the second to build a lead.
Walks were again an issue for the Eagles as they put 12 on base and also had three errors. Conrad again led the way with a 2-for-2 outing with another double. The team had just six hits.
Eupora (0-3) played Choctaw County at home on Tuesday and are expected to play the Chargers again on Friday on the road in Ackerman at 7 p.m. The Eagles will play at home against Bruce on Saturday at Noon before taking on East Webster at home next Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
