Catfish end losing streak behind impressive game by Poplar Bluff's Burkey

The Cape Catfish (2-4) ended its four-game losing streak with an emphatic 8-3 win over the Terre Haute Rex (3-5) on a seasonably warm Friday night at Capaha Field.

With his parents and grandparents in attendance, Catfish righthander Noah Burkey of Poplar Bluff went 5 2/3s innings, giving up one run, scattering five hits, striking out 11 and walking only two.

“Noah got off to a rough start in the first inning, giving up a hit on the very first pitch and allowing a run, but he settled down after that and gave us a great chance to win,” said Catfish manager Steve Larkin after the game.

The Catfish pounded out 17 hits against four Rex pitchers with each one of Larkin’s starting nine collecting at least a hit.

Larkin’s squad lit up Rex starter Kaleb Huxford for six runs on 11 hits before being lifted in the 5th inning by Rex manager A.J. Reed.

Reed played in major league baseball for two teams - the Chicago White Sox and in 2017, for the World Series champion Houston Astros.

Catfish infielder Caleb Jordan, a 5-foot-8, 175-pound speedster, showed some hustle for the home team, legging out two infield singles.

Jordan, a third baseman from Evans, West Virginia, scored twice on three overall hits.

Second baseman Diego Johnson collected four hits to lead the squad and scored once.

Jackson Campbell, Seth Johnson and Grayson Taylor all hit doubles for the Catfish, who were the 2019 Western Division champs in the wood-bat Prospect League.

The Catfish put up a run in the first and third innings, two runs in the fourth and fifth innings and one each in the sixth and seventh frames.

The Rex bookended their runs, scoring one in the first and two in the ninth in a losing effort.

The Catfish and Rex play again Saturday at Capaha Field in a contest scheduled for 7:05 p.m. before going on the road Sunday to play the Sliders in Springfield, Illinois at 5:05 p.m.

Terre Haute Rex 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 - 3 5 3

Cape Catfish 1 0 1 2 2 1 1 0 x - 8 17 1

WP - Noah Burkey; LP - Kaleb Huxford

2B - Campbell, Johnson, Taylor (Catfish)