Warren wins 14U State Championship

Bottom, from L to R: Harley White, Hayden Cathey, Jude Cathey, Ren Reep, and Kelby Robertson; Top, from L to R: Coach Dennen Cuthbertson, Bryson Harris, Rhett Clanton, Colby McGough, AJ Jordan, Nathan Spears, and Coach Robert Cuthbertson; Not pictured: Jake Weaver
Photo by April White

The Warren 14U All-Star team went 4-0 over the weekend at the USSSA 14U All-Star State Tournament at Conway Station Park in Conway, Ark., to claim the 14U State Championship that ended with a 15-9 victory over the Monticello 14U All-Stars in the championship game Sunday afternoon.

Warren entered bracket play as the number 1 seed after going 2-0 on Saturday. Warren defeated Star City 16-1 Sunday afternoon in their first game to clinch a spot in the championship game against Monticello.

Monticello took an early 2-0 lead on a home run in the top of the first, but Warren responded with a 12-run bottom of the first. Warren had eight hits in the frame, while Monticello made a handful of errors to give Warren the big advantage. Nathan Spears swatted a bases-clearing double in his first at bat of the inning before lining a bases-clearing triple later in the frame to give him six RBI in the inning. Ren Reep and AJ Jordan both had RBI doubles in the big inning, while Rhett Clanton added a two-run single and Hayden Cathey drove in a run with a single.

Leading 12-2, Warren allowed Monticello to battle back within 12-9, which included a six-run inning in the top of the third. However, Warren had an RBI each from Hayden Cathey, Bryson Harris, and Jordan in the bottom of the third to go ahead 15-9 to set the final score. Spears picked up the win on the mound in the championship game and drove in six runs, while scoring three times offensively. Hayden Cathey went 3-for-3 with two RBI and three runs scored, while Jude Cathey added two hits and also scored three times.

In the first game of bracket play Sunday, Warren scored 16 runs on 12 hits to knock Star City out of the tournament. Colby McGough, Hayden Cathey, Harley White, and Jordan had two hits apiece. Harris and Hayden Cathey led Warren with three RBI each, while Clanton and Jordan drove in two. McGough, White, and Kelby Robertson each chipped in with one RBI. On the mound, McGough pitched two innings and allowed one run to earn the win, while Reep pitched the last inning.

Warren began the weekend with a 6-4 victory over Wynne in pool play Saturday afternoon. Reep pitched two no-hit innings to earn the win, while Hayden Cathey pitched the final inning to earn the save. At the plate Warren had seven hits as a team, led by Jude Cathey’s three singles.

The Warren All-Stars faced off against Monticello to end pool play and came away with an 8-5 win. McGough pitched a 1-2-3 top of the first to pick up the win as Warren used four different pitchers. Reep came in to get the final three outs to pick up a save as the Warren pitching staff of McGough, Spears, Hayden Cathey, and Reep combined to no-hit Monticello. Offensively, Harris led the charge for Warren with a 2-for-2 effort with three RBI, while Spears had a bases-clearing triple to earn three RBI of his own.