ROGERS — Shiloh Christian Coach Jimmy Harris was quick to forgive Chris Oliver for hitting three Prairie Grove batters in the top of the seventh inning Tuesday.
Despite Oliver’s brief bout of wildness, Harris left his ace pitcher in to finish his three-hit complete game as Shiloh Christian defeated Prairie Grove 8-1 in the semifinals of the Class 4A state baseball tournament at Veterans Park.
“Chris is our No. 1 pitcher,” Harris said. “He lost his focus in the last inning, but I could understand how. He was a little tired, but he got us to the state championship, and that doesn’t get old.”
Oliver (9-2), who struckout 5 and walked just 1, also went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI and gave the Saints (28-4) a 1-0 lead with a second-inning double down the left-field line.
Shiloh Christian built its lead gradually, scoring two runs in the second, third and fourth innings and adding two more in the sixth.
Prairie Grove (19-9) scored its only run on a single by starting pitcher Aaron Kincaid in the seventh inning. The Tigers recorded their two other hits in the third, getting a single from Nic Cook and a double from Dakota Daniels, but a double play started by Oliver kept them from scoring in the inning.
“He can command every pitch he has,” Prairie Grove Coach Mitch Cameron said of Oliver. “He’s got velocity, he can throw his curveball for a strike, and he throws a little changeup.
“When you face guys like him, it’s tough to catch up. They keep you off balance.”
Kyler Offenbacker extended the Saints’ lead to 2-0 with an RBI single in the second inning. Run-scoring hits by Harry Welsh, David Eichler, Jake Scott and Oliver over the next two innings gave Shiloh Christian a 6-0 advantage.
The Saints added their last two runs in the sixth on Josh Salsbury’s seventh home run of the year and an RBI single by Tyler Harris. Kincaid allowed 6 runs off 10 hits in 4 2 /3 innings before being replaced by Cook.
“We were just trying to get a couple hits at a time,” Jimmy Harris said. “Our guys did a great job of executing today and trying to move runners. Nos. 1-9, those guys can all swing the bat.”
Shiloh Christian advances to the championship game for a second consecutive year after falling to Valley View 5-0 last year in its first state final appearance.
“This is our goal, getting back,” Jimmy Harris said. “We knew we had an opportunity to do that. Now we want to finish it and win our first state championship.”
Prairie Grove, which advanced to the semifinals for the first time, lost to 1-4A Conference rival Shiloh Christian all three times the teams met this season.
Prairie Grove (19-9) 000 000 1 - 1 3 1 Shiloh Christian (28-4) 022 202 x - 8 13 1 Kincaid, Cook (5) and Daniels. Oliver and Harris. HR - Salsbury (7). W - Oliver (9-2). L - Kincaid.
MALVERN 6, FARMINGTON 4
Jacob Keeney and Jon Whit Golden combined for six hits and four RBI to lead the Leopards (26-4), who came from behind to defeat the Cardiinals (17-9).
Farmington loaded the bases on three walks and scored two runs on an error in the top of the seventh, but Jeff White came on in relief with no outs and earned the save.
Keeney went 3 for 4 with 1 RBI and boosted his record to 9-1 by allowing 2 runs and 5 hits in 5 innings.
Golden went 3 for 4 with 3 RBI, hitting a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth to give Malvern a 6-2 lead.
Farmington took a 2-0 lead on runscoring hits by Logan Boudrey and Tony Morales, who went 2 for 3. Asa Chapman’s two-run single in the bottom of the third gave Malvern a 3-2 advantage.
Sports, Pages 28 on 05/19/2010