By Cade Haak
TEXARKANA, TX (June 25, 2024) – The Shadowcats took game one of the double header when they shut down the Rhinos after the first inning to win 7-2. Game two flipped back in favor of the Rhinos, who won the five-inning bout 6-4.
The lone Texarkana Native on the Rhinos roster, Mason Sellers, was given the mound to start game three of the series. For the Shadowcats, Tyler Carnes was the starter, and his brother Cole provided his target for the game as the catcher. In the end, it was Carnes who took the win for the Shadowcats, as he pitched the entire game to secure the win.
The only runs for the Rhinos put them ahead early, as they brought home two runners in the home half of the first. Both of the two runs were scored on a single from Neil Jansen, who hit a pop fly into shallow right field that landed in no man’s land as Easton Ford and Kaleb Castillo collided while attempting to chase down the ball. From this point on, the Rhinos were completely shut down by Tyler Carnes, who ended the game after pitching all seven innings and allowing only two runs and five hits, three of which came in the first.
The Shadowcats seven runs in total were spread throughout the game, as they scored two runs in the second, three in the fourth inning, and then their final two in the fifth.
The second game of the double header saw only three pitchers in total between the two teams. Ty Howry started for the Shadowcats, and Ty Thomerson made his debut for the Texarkana Rhinos in front of the home crowd. Thomerson was able to match the output of Tyler Carnes, as he pitched the entirety of the game for the Rhinos and was the driving force behind their victory in game two. Thomerson’s final statline was five innings pitched, five hits allowed, all while allowing only four runs.
Sherman scored one run in the top of the first to take the first lead of the game, but the Rhinos didn’t let the lead sit for long as they came back with two runs of their own during their trip to the plate. Both of the two runs were brought in on an error as the baseball was flown into the night sky and then dropped by Alex Rangel, allowing Ian Guanzon and Gabriel Natividad to score.
In the third inning, Sherman took their second lead of the game when they scored three runs in the top half. The Rhinos then did just enough work to tie the game back up by scoring two runs. The first run to score was by Rhinos leadoff man Wyatt Cunningham when he was driven in by Gabriel Natividad as he found a hole in the Shadowcats defense in right-centerfield, allowing him to get a stand-up triple. The tying run was Natividad himself, who scored on a wild pitch from Ty Howry.
The final lead change of the game went to the Rhinos as they notched two runs and took their lead, ultimately winning in the bottom of the fourth. Kyle Dekerf was able to score as Christian Rosales hit a single into center field. The next run was by Wyatt Cunningham, who scored on a sacrifice fly that hit well into the outfield off the bat of Ian Guanzon.
Next Up:
The Rhinos will now head on the road to play Abilene both of the next two nights before coming back home to host the Piney Woods Timber Hogs in a single game this Thursday.
