Despite solid pitching from Reid Bell, the Escambia Academy Cougars lost 3-2 to Jay High School Thursday.

Bell pitched a complete game with nine strikeouts, four hits and no earned runs in the loss.
Coach Mickey Cannon said Bell pitched “too good to lose.”

“He pitched a good ballgame,” Cannon said. “We just made too many errors.”

Cannon said the team made critical errors and Jay was able to capitalize on them, scoring all three of their runs in the fifth inning.

In addition the Cougar bats were cold. The order only mustered four hits for the game and struck out eight times.

“When you don’t put the ball in play you don’t have a chance to score,” Cannon said.

Bell and Brett Helton scored the Cougars only two runs on a Michael Thompson single in the third inning. Thompson went 1-for-4 on the day. Helton, Bell and Trey McGhee also went 1-for-4 from the plate in the loss.

The Cougars travel for two games at Navarre, which is a makeup from a rainout earlier this week, and Monroe Academy, before taking on Northview at home at 6 p.m. Tuesday.