CONWAY -- Clobbered by Bryant earlier in the day, the Texarkana Razorbacks rallied from a three-run deficit to fend off the Little Rock Vipers 16-6 in Saturday's late game at the American Legion Class AAA state tournament at Hendrix College.
Centerfielder Blake Hall drove in four runs with a double and a sacrifice fly and second baseman Nick Myers slugged a two-run home run for the Razorbacks (31-3).
Texarkana took advantage of a combined 19 walks issued by four Little Rock pitchers to qualify for next month's Mid-South Regional Tournament, which will be held at Curran-Conway Park in Little Rock starting Aug. 3.
Bryant (26-7) and Texarkana will play for the state title at noon today. A second game will be needed if Texarkana wins the first game.
Behind Austin Kelly's bat and Zack Jackson's arm, the Blacksox rolled to a 10-0 victory over the Razorbacks in the early game. Kelly hit a grand slam in the second inning to help give Bryant a 5-0 lead. Jackson, a University of Arkansas signee, earned his second victory in as many games after he gave up 6 hits (all singles), 2 walks and struck out 3. Only two Texarkana base runners managed to reach third against Jackson, who threw 88 pitches in six innings.
"We thought he would be able to do that after a good five days rest," Bryant Manager Darren Hurt said of the Blacksox pitcher. "I thought he was sharp."
Texarkana had more offensive success against Little Rock's depleted pitching staff. Vipers starter E.J. Scott limited the Razorbacks to two hits through five innings, but Scott reached the maximum on pitches (110) after five innings.
"We knew [Little Rock] was coming out with their No. 1 guy," said Texarkana Manager Dane Peavy, whose team trailed 6-3 entering the sixth inning. "I don't think he had thrown that much throughout the course of the summer. Our game plan was to drive his pitch count up. ... We knew if we could do that, we would have a good chance."
Reliever Markus Bracey walked five of the first six batters he faced and then gave up a bases-loaded double to Hall, whose liner to center field got past a diving Dylan Chilcote.
"That broke it open," Peavy said. "Any time you can get the big hit, it's huge. ... We didn't get the big hit today against Bryant. There were a couple of times where we had chances to the big hit and didn't. We just need to capitalize and Blake's hit was one of those."
Hall's three-run double was the only hit of the inning. Texarkana sent 12 batters to the plate and used seven walks and a hit batter for the majority of its offense. Texarkana drew 12 walks during the final four innings.
Texarkana's Zac Harrington picked up the victory in relief. He went 4 2/3 innings, allowing only 1 run on 5 hits. He struck out five and walked one.
Little Rock scored all six of it runs in the fifth inning. Scott belted a two-run double in the five-hit inning. Dakota Stafford drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Lance Nolen, who went 3 for 5 with 3 singles, and Chilcote each had a run-scoring single in the inning.
Earlier in the day with temperatures hovering above the 100 degree mark and the heat index registering as high as 116, Texarkana starting pitcher Tanner Vaught had trouble finding the strike zone. Bryant scored only one run in the first inning and left the bases loaded, but Vaught had to throw 46 pitches to get out of the inning.
In the second inning with runners at second and third, Texarkana intentionally walked Garrett Misenheimer to get to Kelly, who sent the first offering from Vaught over the left-field wall.
"That first inning set the stage for what we were doing," Hurt said. "We had great at-bats the whole [first] inning. For them to walk Misenheimer and for Kelly to hit the grand slam, that did set the tone for the rest of the ballgame.
"I can't fault [Texarkana]. I probably would have walked Misenheimer, too. He's our best hitter. But Austin Kelly can make you pay. He's got a lot of power. He stepped up and got it done."
Texarkana had a chance to get back into game the following inning, loading the bases with two singles and a walk, but Jackson got Nick Myers to ground back to the mound to end the threat.
Jake East, who was 2 for 4 with an RBI, led off the Bryant fourth with a triple. Joey Cates and Dylan Hurt each had RBI singles in the inning. Logan Allen drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.
Logan Vidrine led Texarkana with two singles.
Sports on 07/24/2016