East Carter falls to Van Buren in district matchup

East Carter’s Will Baugus connects with a fly ball to left field during a matchup against the Van Buren Bulldogs on Thursday at East Carter baseball field.

DAR/D’Courtland Christian

ELLSINORE — The East Carter Redbirds looked to pick up their third straight win, but they would have their hands full against some stiff competition who was looking to do the same.

The Redbirds took on an eager Van Buren team on Thursday in a district matchup at East Carter baseball field. Benjamin Hawkins drove in four runs on three hits to lead the Van Buren Bulldogs past East Carter 13-4. Hawkins singled in the fourth inning, scoring two runs and hit a home run to left field in the sixth inning, scoring two.

The Bulldogs improved to 6-3, while the Redbirds fell to 9-6 on the season. Van Buren’s head coach Jacob Nickelson said that it's always a positive anytime the Bulldogs can come out on top.

“There's always this extra fight between these two teams because of this long-standing rivalry, so it definitely feels good to get the win,” Nickelson said. “It’s tough to keep the guys focused on the game because this matchup always gets them amped up, but they handled it very well. But now it’s over with, and we will see them again down the line.

Nickelson said the Bulldogs like to play fast and really hard, and he believes if they can stay competitive around the strike zone, they can keep the momentum going.

Van Buren’s Benjamin Hawkins leads the Bulldogs to victory over East Carter by driving in four runs on three hits on Thursday at East Carter baseball field. DAR/D’Courtland Christian

The last time the two foes faced each other, it was the Redbirds who walked away victorious with an 8-7 contest in last year’s Class 2 District 2 tournament. The Bulldogs stepped to the plate with a lot of intensity to regain their win.

Van Buren got on the board in the top of the first inning after Jonah Reed doubled, scoring two runs, and Noah Keeney singled, scoring one run. With an error from the Redbirds, the Bulldogs extended their lead to 5-1 in the top of the second inning.

Though the Redbirds managed to score a few runs, Van Buren continued to dominate at the plate with more runs in the seventh inning to extend the lead to 13-4. Keeney hit a solo home run to left field to seal the win.

Hawkins earned the win for the Bulldogs. He surrendered two hits and three runs over four innings, striking out five and walking five. Brendon Reynolds took the loss for East Carter. The starting pitcher went six innings, giving up 13 runs (10 earned) on 12 hits, striking out four and walking two. Hayes Townsley tossed one inning of no-run ball for Van Buren in relief. The righty surrendered one hit, striking out one and walking one.

The Bulldogs collected 13 hits in the game. Hawkins and Keeney each collected three hits, while Smith, Nathan Smith, and Devin Dewolf each collected multiple hits for Van Buren. The Bulldogs turned two double plays in the game and were sure-handed in the field and didn't commit a single error.

JJ Pflum drove the middle of the lineup, leading East Carter with two runs batted in by going 2-for-3 on the day. Reynolds paced East Carter with three walks and had three stolen bases.

Redbirds head coach Ethan Boyer gave a lot of credit to Van Buren for coming in ready to play, and despite the loss, he looks for the team to bounce back in their next matchup.

“They're a really good team and Coach Nickelson does a really good job with them,” Boyer said. “It’d be hard to find a better coach than him because he has them playing so well and we knew it would be a tough challenge. Overall, we just got outplayed, and we’ll take it as a way to improve. We’ve dealt with a few rainouts, and that’s a quick way to lose a little momentum. Luckily, we get a chance to bounce back and come out ready to play from the first pitch instead of getting warmed up midgame. Hopefully, we’ll play better on Friday.

Next up for East Carter is a game at Clearwater on Friday, while Van Buren will host Eminence on Tuesday.