By ISAAC BOURNE | The Arkadelphian

MAGNOLIA — A crucial Tuesday night road game for the Arkadelphia Badgers (8-5) turned to tragedy as the Magnolia Panthers (9-6) mercy-ruled them 15-4 in five innings.

Leading 3-1 to start the fourth inning, the Panthers went on to match with a six-run inning, followed by five in the fifth to sink any hopes of a comeback for the discouraged Badgers. 

“We had some really good hits, but we put ourselves in a bad situation with some walks and stuff, and when you get free bases and you don’t get any outs on anything, it’s hard,” said head coach Drew Loe.

Poor pitching outings by seniors Carter Babb and Donovan Whitten also contributed to a swift loss in Magnolia for the Badgers, but Loe mainly emphasized the ability to work from behind and to keep playing in the face of failure. 

“Hopefully we can do like we did the first three innings and work ahead in the count, put ourselves in a good situation for an at-bat,” Loe echoed. “But when we have to work from behind, we’ve just got to work and just got to do better.”

The Badgers get their chance at redemption Thursday night at the Arkadelphia Sports Complex, when the Lake Hamilton Wolves (5-9) come to town for an intraconference matchup.