BENTONVILLE — Kory Keithley’s ground ball seemed to be the one that would end the fourth inning until Hayden Harvey momentarily bobbled it Tuesday night.
That little drop by Fort Smith Kerwins’ shortstop eventually led to a two-base error, allowing two runs to score and break a 2-2 tie. It also gave Bentonville the momentum it needed to pull away and take a 13-5 victory over the Sportsmen in American Legion Zone 1 baseball action at the Tiger Athletic Complex.
Luke Bandy added insult to the error when his single drove in two more runs and made it a 6-2 game, then Bentonville (9-4, 2-1) pulled away with three more runs in the sixth.
“We capitalized well on that error,” Bentonville coach Kyle Blevins said. “It was good to see our guys come through when they needed to there. That was a big base hit by Bandy to drive in those other two runs.
“It was never enough as their guys kept chipping away, and they’re a good team. It was good to be on that side of an error.”
The inning began when Will Jibas’ fly ball to right field was dropped for a two-base error. Brian Gloecker and Ben Nordin then drew two-out walks to load the bases for Keithley, who hit the grounder to short.
The quick bobble Harvey made caused him to rush his throw to second for the inning-ending force out. Instead, the ball went wildly into right field as Jibas and Gloecker came home to score.
“That fourth inning really hurt us,” Kerwins coach Trey Prieur said. “Lately, we’ve been on a streak where we’ve played some great defense, but those two plays really got them going.
“That’s part of baseball. Your shortstop or any outfielder isn’t going to have 1.000 fielding percentage, and we know nine times out of 10 he will make those plays.”
It was all the cushion Trent Hill needed to pick up the win in his longest start of the season. The left-hander struck out six straight batters at one point and finished with 11 as he improved his record to 4-0 with a 97-pitch, five-inning outing.
Hill only allowed two hits, but both of them helped Kerwins (11-7, 2-2) erase Bentonville’s early 2-0 lead on Ben Nordin’s two-run double in the second. Michael Rhea led off the third with a single, then Jordan Miller followed a walk to Justin Pittman with a double down the left-field line and scoring both runners.
“I think those were the first two earned runs Trent has given up,” Blevins said. “He’s really thrown well all year, all five or six outings he’s had.
“We’ve tried to progress his pitch counts, and every time he’s gone a little deeper. It’s good to see that as we move toward the end of the season.”
Hill’s two-run single and Jibas’ sacrifice fly in the sixth helped Bentonville extend its lead to 9-2. Keithley added an RBI single in the seventh, then Kane Koenigseder drove in two more runs with a bases-loaded single in the eighth.
Bentonville made a late addition to its schedule and will play the Midwest Nationals Red team in a 5 p.m. game today at the Tiger Athletic Complex.