The Cougars claimed the 3A North District baseball championship on their home field Monday night, topping Riverside 10-4 in Rector.

The boys in blue muscled their way to victory on the backs of a dynamite five-run second inning and a strong pitching performance by sophomore Mason Knight. Knight worked all seven innings, allowing one earned run on four hits while striking out 13 and walking four.

The Cougars jumped out to a 1-0 advantage in the first inning. Alex Roofe singled to shallow right field and stole second base. Logan Buck grounded out to short to advance the runner. Tyler Small hit his first of three doubles on the day to bring in Roofe and put Rector ahead. The Cougars wouldn't look back from there.

Members of the Rector Cougars 2A-3 District Tournament championship team include, from left: Front--James Bradshaw, Justin Duke, Luke Morris, Alex Roofe, Drew Boyd, Tyler Small, Cody Hager and manager Jared Green. Back--Head coach Nate Henderson, Logan Buck, Dalton Shaw, Daniel Blackshare, Clinton Haley, Mason Knight, Dustin Smith, Cody Loveless, Cory Hager, Trent Arnold and assistant coach Matt Mills. [Click to enlarge]

Knight struck out three of the four batters he faced in the top of the second, allowing Rector to build momentum.

Rector scored all five of their second inning runs with two outs on the scoreboard. Dalton Shaw and James Bradshaw hit back-to-back singles to start things off for the Cougars. Justin Duke knocked a single past the second baseman to bring in Shaw and put runners on the corners. Roofe singled to right field to bring Bradshaw, leaving Rector with men on first and second. After Buck singled past short to load the bases, Small sent a shot deep to center for a double that brought in three runs.

Knight retired the Riverside batters in order, keeping the game in Rector's favor, 6-0, through two-and-a-half.

Clinton Haley got things going for Rector in the third, hitting a bloop single to shallow right-center. Knight followed with a single. Duke came up with a bunt that was mishandled at the mound, leading to a throwing error which saw the ball go over the third baseman's head. Haley and Knight scored on the play, as Duke came to a rest at third. Buck brought in Duke with an RBI single up the middle to put Rector in the lead 9-0 through three innings of play.

Riverside managed three runs in the fourth and another in the fifth inning. Rector added an insurance score in the bottom of the fifth to set the final score of 10-4 in place.

"I thought we came out and played an all-around solid game," Rector skipper Nate Henderson said. "I'm proud of my guys. Everyone gave a really good effort."

Henderson praised the efforts of his pitcher.

"Mason Knight did an outstanding job for us. He did a good job of throwing strikes and kept Riverside from getting much going on offense. It was a big game and I thought he did a great job handling the pressure."

Small led the Cougar hit parade, going 4-4 with four RBIs.

"Tyler had an outstanding day at the plate for us," Henderson said. "He came through with extra base hits for us and really helped spark our offense."

Buck also swung a hearty bat, hitting 3-4 with an RBI. Also hitting for Rector were Duke 2-3 with 3 RBIs, Roofe 2-4 with an RBI, Bradshaw 1-2 with a walk and Haley 1-3.

The Cougars will face Sloan-Hendrix at 5 p.m. this Saturday in the regional tourney at Tuckerman. Rector is the number one seed from 2A-3. Sloan-Hendrix is the fourth seed from 2A-2. If the Cougars can win the game, they'll receive an automatic berth in the 2A state tournament which begins May 9 in Pine Bluff.

Win over BIC

The Cougars advanced to the finals with an 11-5 win over BIC in the semis. The Cougars reached the semis through a first round bye, assuring themselves of a berth in the regional tourney before even playing a district tournament game.

Buck gave a solid effort on the mound, allowing five runs, three of which were earned, on eight hits while striking out seven and walking four in the complete game victory.

BIC moved out to a 1-0 advantage in the opening half of the first inning, but the Cougars roared back, scoring six in the bottom of the first and five more in the bottom of the second to hold an intimidating 11-1 lead heading into the third frame.

BIC would add a run in the top of the fifth and three more in the seventh, but the early Rector onslaught could not be countered. The visitors even managed to turn a triple play in the fourth, with a surprise diving catch by the Mustangs' rightfielder resulting in two Cougar runners being caught away from the bags, but it was all for naught.

Duke had a mighty day at the plate, going 3-5 with 2 RBIs in the crucial victory. Also hitting were Bradshaw 2-2, Knight 2-2, Small 2-3, Shaw 1-2 with 2 RBIs, Buck 1-3 with an RBI and Roofe 1-4.