Tigers, Wildcats Split

Bentonville, Har-Bar Battle in Conference Action

Bentonville's Will Jibas safely dives back to second base ahead of the throw to Springdale Har-Ber second baseman Zach Vogel in the bottom of the fifth inning on Friday, April 19, 2013, at Bentonville.
Bentonville's Will Jibas safely dives back to second base ahead of the throw to Springdale Har-Ber second baseman Zach Vogel in the bottom of the fifth inning on Friday, April 19, 2013, at Bentonville.

BENTONVILLE — An injury put a premature end to a classic pitching duel Friday afternoon.

Springdale Har-Ber’s Zac Thompson hurt his arm with two out in the fifth inning in the Wildcats’ first game with Bentonville. The Tigers took advantage of freshman reliever Brady Patrick’s wildness with three runs and posted a 4-1 victory during 7A/6A-West Conference baseball action at the Tiger Athletic Complex.

Thompson (5-2) could have finished the fifth, but Chris Mizelle’s grounder was misplayed and kept Bentonville alive. The Har-Ber right-hander then left the game with a 1-0 deficit, and Har-Ber coach Randy Salsbury said the injury was something that would have to be examined.

The Tigers keyed on Patrick’s wildness as he walked three batters and threw three pitches. Each of the wild pitches allowed a run to cross the plate, extending Bentonville’s lead to a 4-0 cushion.

“It was a good baseball game,” Bentonville coach Todd Abbott said. “It came down to one break, and whoever got that break was going to come out ahead.

“You might think it’s a little error, but there are no little errors. The one that seems to be a small miscue may lead to that one run that can beat you. We were able to capitalize on it.”

The unearned runs loomed large because Har-Ber broke Cody Scroggins’ shutout bid in the sixth. Collin Richardson’s double to right-center drove in Zac Deshazo, who had earlier walked.

It was one of the few mistakes for Scroggins, who went the distance and allowed just three hits. The sophomore bounced back after the double and retired the last four batters to close out the game, fi nishing with seven strikeouts and three walks.

“It’s our offense that’s putting too much pressure on our defense and our pitching,” Salsbury said. “We’re just not hitting the ball. We’re in a funk right now.

“We got beat in every phase of the game, and that’s the first time this year that you can say that. The games we lost, we’ve done something well. We basically didn’t play.”

Har-Ber 000 001 0 — 1 3 2 Bentonville 010 030 x — 4 6 0

Thompson, Patrick (5), Williamson (6) and Rasmussen; Scroggins and Lewis. W-Scroggins. L-Thompson 5-2. Sv-None. HR-None.

GAME 2

SPRINGDALE HAR-BER 5,

BENTONVILLE 4

Richardson had two hits and drove in three runs, including a key RBI single in the fifth, as Har-Ber bounced back and forced the doubleheader split.

Gus Vitt’s RBI double broke a 2-2 tie in the second, and Richardson’s RBI single gave the Wildcats (15-7, 6-4) a 5-2 lead. Bentonville (16-6, 8-2) made it a one-run game with consecutive RBI singles by Mizelle and Scroggins in the bottom of the fi fth, then had the bases loaded in the seventh before a fly ball to deep center ended the game.

John Jaro (5-1) pitched six innings for the win, while Paul Williamson pitched the seventh for his second save. Bentonville starter Peyton Fitch allowed four runs in two-plus innings and took the loss, while Scroggins fi nished with two hits and two RBIs.

Har-Ber 220 010 0 — 5 7 1 Bentonville 200 020 0 — 4 6 2

Jaro, Williamson (7) and Rasmussen; Fitch, Rosales (3) and Lewis. W-Jaro, 5-1. L-Fitch. Sv-Williamson (2). HR-None.

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