ROGERS -- McKayden Templeton looks ready for 7A-West Conference play next week.
The sophomore right-hander tossed a shutout, scattering four hits, to lead Rogers High to a 10-0 win over Mountain Home in nonconference baseball Thursday evening at Veterans Park.
Prep Baseball
Rogers High 10, Mountain Home 0 (6)
Mountain Home^000^000^—^0^4^3
Rogers^010^405^—^10^12^1
Mize, Henderson (5) and Steelman; Templeton and McWhorter. W-Templeton, 2-0. L-Mize, 0-1. HRs-None.
Templeton (2-0) has not given up a run over 11 innings in his first two starts of the season. He struck out seven and walked one against Mountain Home (2-1) and was sharper in his second outing.
"I would say my off-speed was working a little better," Templeton said. "My slider was moving a lot today that contributed to a lot of swing and misses. Last week I had the first-game jitters, but today came out and got the job done."
Rogers coach Matt Melson liked what he saw from Templeton.
"He threw his breaking ball early in the count just to get ahead strike one," Melson said. "He worked both sides of the plate with his two-seam fastball. We're real pleased with him. We were able to extend him a little bit because the next time he throws will be in a conference game."
Templeton also got a little help from his defense to keep the Bombers off the scoreboard.
Gage McClain led off the fourth with a triple over the center fielder's head, but Mountain Home, which didn't return a starter from last year's team that finished second in Class6A, still diddn't score. Rogers right fielder Jeb Brain caught a fly ball off the bat of Will Gross, then threw out McClain at the plate to end the inning.
Melson said that big defensive play combined with senior Grayson Mauldin's pinch-hit three-run triple in the bottom of the fourth pushed the momentum in the Mounties' favor.
"They had a runner at third with nobody out and didn't score and then Mauldin's hit were two big plays," Melson said. "I thougth those were two big turning points. I thought we were really efficient on the mound and defensively."
Mauldin slapped an 0-2 pitch just inside the first-base bag with the bases loaded to break open a 1-0 game. Collin McWhorter followed with an RBI single up the middle to give Rogers a 5-0 lead. The Mounties added five more in the bottom of the sixth to end the game on the 10-run rule.
Luke McFadden paced a 12-hit attack for Rogers, going 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs. McWhorter and Jeb Sample added two hits each and an RBI.
The Mounties (2-0) will take on North Little Rock at 4:30 today in their final tune-up before beginning 7A-West Conference play by hosting Springdale Har-Ber on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.
Sports on 03/10/2017