PRAIRIE GROVE -- Bentonville West scored in only two innings Tuesday, but the runs were enough to top Pea Ridge.
The Wolverines bunched together four runs in both the second and third innings and defeated Pea Ridge 8-5 in the opening game of the Jarren Sorters Memorial Tournament at Rieff Park. Sophomore right-hander Dakota McDonald recorded the final two outs after Pea Ridge (7-2) rallied for three runs and had the tying run at the plate in the seventh.
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Bentonville West^044^00X—^8^10^3
Wright, Bussy (3) and Workes. Oddell, Bourg (5), McDonald and Carter. W — Oddell. L — Wright.
Westin Church had a two-run double, and Hayden Holtgrewe drove in one with single in the seventh for Pea Ridge, which trailed 8-1 after three innings. McDonald retired Landon Allison on a fly ball to right field and Dillon Workes on a popup to second base to preserve the victory for the Wolverines (5-3).
"Dakota is a young guy who's going to have a chance to be a good pitcher," Bentonville West coach Chip Durham said. "We like him a lot. He throws strikes."
The tournament continues today and Thursday with games at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Bentonville West and Gentry will begin play today, followed by Prairie Grove and Ozark, then Booneville and Pea Ridge.
Bentonville West jumped ahead with four runs on four hits in the second inning. Marlin Keller had a two-run triple following a walk to Zach Trammell and a double by Jason Gloeckler. Keller stole home when the catcher threw to third base during a rundown.
Chandler Tidwell had an RBI double for Pea Ridge before the Wolverines added four runs to take an 8-1 lead. Joey Haden had a two-run double and McDonald an RBI single in the inning.
"We did a good of base running and making contact at the plate," Durham said.
Left-hander Tyler Oddell earned the victory with relief help from McDonald and Carter Bourg. Oddell hit two batters and loaded the bases in the fourth inning, but worked out of the jam with consecutive strikeouts.
Booneville 12, Prairie Grove 3
Booneville scored six runs in the third inning and four run in sixth to ease past host Prairie Grove.
Cam Brasher had three hits to lead Booneville. Carson Ray, Hayden Fennell, Brady Brasher, and Michael Hesson added two hits each for the Bearcats.
Clay Fidler had a double in the fourth inning when Prairie Grove scored two runs with the help of a throwing error by Booneville.
Ozark 15, Gentry 2 (5 innings)
Ozark scored nine runs in the second inning and defeated Gentry in a game called in the fifth inning because of the 10-run mercy rule.
Myles McPherson hit two hits for Gentry while Sean Pierce and Ayden Smartt each added a double for the Pioneers.
Other Games
Hendersonville, Tenn. 5, Bentonville High 4
Bentonville's late comeback attempt fell short Tuesday as the Tigers suffered their second loss in three days during the Gulf Shores Classic in Orange Beach, Ala.
Bentonville (4-5) entered the seventh inning with a 5-1 deficit, but Justin Hines doubled and Cameron Duncan walked to start the inning. Kam'ron Mays-Hunt then belted a three-run home run to make it a one-run game, but the next two Tigers were retired to end the game.
Matthew Jackson allowed five runs on eight hits through six innings and took the loss for Bentonville, which concludes its Alabama trip with a game today against Montgomery (Ala.) Trinity Presbyterian.
St. Paul, Fla. 7, Rogers Heritage 3
The War Eagles handed out nine walks and committed four errors in fall in the opener Tuesday at the Hall of Fame National Classic in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Heritage (1-6) took a 1-0 lead in the first, but St. Paul scored three runs in the second aided by two War Eagle errors to take the lead and never looked back.
Noah Guill and Ethan Gates had two hits each, while Guill drove in a run.
Springdale Har-Ber 7, Arnold, Fla. 3
Blake Adams and Har-Ber (6-1) bounced back from a 10-8 loss to Goodpasture Christian (Tenn.) Monday and jumped on Arnold High early, scoring six runs in the first three innings.
Caleb Grace's first-inning double plated two, then Jacob Williams' two-run shot gave Har-Ber a 4-0 lead heading to the second. The Wildcats finished the day with five hits, but were patient at the plate, drawing eight walks in the win.
Coach Ron Bradley gave the start to Adams on the mound, and he delivered with a complete game six-hitter with nine strikeouts. Adams threw first-pitch strikes to 22 of 30 batters he faced.
Lancaster, Calif. 7, Fayetteville 3
The Bulldogs saw a 3-2 lead evaporate behind a five-run fifth inning by the Eagles (4-8) during the Pride Classic, a tournament being played a multiple locations in Arizona.
Fayetteville (2-8) grabbed the lead on Logan Carr's solo homer in the top of the fifth.
Hayes Cox doubled and scored on a single by Cole Strange to even the score at 2-2 in the fourth inning. Cox, who walked twice and was 2-for-3, tripled and scored on a single by Greydon Turner to put the Bulldogs on the board in the second inning.
Guntersville, Ala. 4, Farmington 1
The Wildcats (11-4) scored three runs in the final two innings to snap the Cardinals' four-game winning streak during the Gulf Shores (Ala.) Spring Break Classic.
Tyler Gregg was 2-for-3 with a double and Blake Putnam drove in Farmington's lone run with a third inning single.
Cade Fenton allowed two hits in five innings for the Cardinals (9-4). He struck out seven, but walked six and allowed two earned runs to pick up the loss.
Bryson Massey tossed a complete-game six hitter for Guntersville.
Sports on 03/22/2017