FAYETTEVILLE -- Star City went more than six innings without a hit Friday afternoon, but the Bulldogs still managed to come out a winner.
Junior Tye Brown lined a bases-loaded single to right field with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to give Star City a 4-3 victory over Arkadelphia in the Class 4A baseball state championship game at Baum Stadium.
Star City (20-5) picked up back-to-back singles from Blake Wynn and Austin Powell in the second inning. Thirty batters later, Brown gave the Bulldogs' their third and final hit.
Arkadelphia, the two-time defending state champion, collected seven hits and picked up six other runners on walks and hit batters, but the Badgers (25-10) left eight runners stranded.
"We did it with good pitching and we did it with good defense," Star City Coach Scott Johnson said. "We executed on the plays where we had to have execution."
Arkadelphia committed five errors, and while only one Star City run came home via the miscues, Badgers Coach Brant Matros said his team's play was disappointing.
"Five errors is very uncharacteristic of us, and it was pretty routine stuff," Matros said. "Star City is very good team, but we gave them too much free stuff."
Star City's game-winning rally started when Cole Muckleroy drew a walk off Badgers pitcher Ty Kosters. Muckleroy moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Wynn and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Powell and Austin Capps were intentionally walked to load the bases.
Star City's Garry Hill tapped back to Kosters, which forced Muckleroy at the plate for the second out, but it set up Brown's game-winning heroics.
"I've had a lot of those situations this season and none of them have gone too well," Brown said of the bases being loaded. "All year I've struggled to drive in runs. I've struggled, but I've kept working and I kept a positive attitude."
Brown sent Kosters' first pitch to right field to score Powell with the game-winning run.
"That kid is a winner," Johnson said of Brown. "He has struggled offensively as of late, but he's a winner and he finds ways to get it done. ... He's the type of kid you go to war with. I just had a feeling he was going to come through for us."
Brown's hit made a winner of Powell, who pitched one hitless inning after coming on in relief of Hill.
"I can't say enough about our pitchers," Brown said. "They've been great all year. They've kept us in most of our games and gotten us out of tight situations, and on the big stage they were on today. They were just outstanding."
Hill gave up 7 hits in 8 innings, striking out 6 and walking 1.
Arkadelphia took a 1-0 lead in the second on Austin Bethal's double.
Star City scored two runs in the third. Muckelroy walked prior to the back-to-back singles by Wynn and Powell. Powell tied the game with his single. Wynn scored on a wild pitch.
Arkadelphia retook the lead with two runs in the fifth. Brooks Burnham's double tied the game, and Clay Wilson followed with a run-scoring single.
Two errors in the bottom of the fifth allowed Star City to tie the game. A suicide squeeze bunt by Hill brought home Wynn to tie it at 3-3.
Brandon Matros started for Arkadelphia. The junior left-hander struck out 7 and walked 4 in 4 innings. Kosters lasted 4 2/3 innings, striking out 2 and walking 5.
Sports on 05/23/2015