CONWAY -- Mark Moyer hopes his brief appearance on the University of Central Arkansas pitcher's mound Tuesday afternoon is a sign of good things to come.
Moyer, who has signed to play for UCA next spring, struck out five of the eight batters he faced to help the East earn an 8-4 victory over the West in the first game of the Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star baseball doubleheader at Bear Stadium.
Moyer, who led Russellville to a Class 6A state title during his junior season, gave up a hit in each of his two innings of work but struck out the side in the first and struck out the final two batters he faced in the second.
"That was awesome," Moyer said of pitching on what will be soon be his home field. "What a great experience."
"[Moyer's] stuff looked really good," East Coach Josh Allison of Valley View said. "He had good depth on his breaking ball. He had some pop on his fastball. If you can throw three pitches at his velocity, you're going to be successful."
Moyer said he hopes to be a part of UCA's rotation next spring.
"I plan on it," Moyer said. "I'm going to come here and work my hardest. I have a chance, and I'm going to work until I get that spot."
The teams combined for six errors in the first four innings, but there were some defensive gems in the later innings.
East pitcher Kollin Stone of Riverside walked bases loaded in the fifth but started an inning-ending double play when he got Blake Cotton of Pea Ridge to hit a one-hopper back to the mound.
The West loaded the bases again in the sixth, but the rally all but came to an end when shortstop Derek St. Clair of Jacksonville made a diving grab of a line drive hit by Austin Morgan of Taylor.
The East was outhit 9-5, but all five of its hits went for extra bases. Combined with four West errors, the East held a 7-1 advantage after 3 1/2 innings.
"We hit well the two times I saw us hit in [batting practice]," Allison said. "We jumped on them early and put them in big hole. We were hitting the gaps and had three triples. You don't see three triples in a game very often."
West starter Andy Pagnozzi of Fayetteville was roughed up in his first two innings of work, although only one of the five runs he allowed was earned.
The East scored two runs in the first. Wilson Murff of Jonesboro reached on an error and scored when Catholic's William Hancock tripled, the first of three for the West. Hancock scored the game's second run on a groundout by Mason Gibson of Nettleton.
Tyler Herrin of Mayflower drove in two runs with a triple in the second inning. Herrin scored on a groundout by Jacob Adams of Conway for a 5-0 East lead.
St. Clair doubled, walked and scored two runs for the East. Stone drove in a run with a triple in the sixth.
Chase Kilgore, a second baseman from Rogers Heritage, had three of the West's nine hits. Kilgore, Brent Loyd of Magazine and Brian Glockler of Bentonville all had RBI for the West.
GAME ONE
East;230;201;0 -- 8;5;2
West;001;101;1 -- 4;9;5
Moyer, Clark (3), Stone (5), Stitt (6), Gibson (7) and Hancock, Lannon (4), Anderson (6), Groves (6). Pagnozzi, Fitzgerald (4), McClure (6), Stutts (7) and Thompson, Cotton (5), Kilgore (7). W -- Moyer. L -- Pagnozzi.
WEST 9, EAST 1
Evan Thompson of Sheridan was 3 for 3 with an RBI triple as the West managed a split of the doubleheader. The West pounded out 12 hits, including two each from Morgan and Cale Ridling of Genoa Central. Blake Cotton of Pea Ridge drove in two runs. Ty Harpenau of Fort Smith Southside struck out three in two innings of work to earn the victory. Wynne’s Nathan Harrison took the loss.
GAME TWO
West ...........................200 400 2 — 9 12 3
East ............................000 100 0 — 1 7 3
Harpenau, Allen (3), Austin (5) and Cotton, McClure (5); Harrison, Beck (3), Raymond (4), St. Clair (5), Willis (6) and Groves, Hancock (4). W — Harpenau. L — Harrison.
Sports on 06/24/2015