MOUNTAIN HOME - Blytheville’s Will Camp threw only 77 pitches in nine innings, allowing just two hits to help lead the Casons to a 7-1 victory over Rogers Optimists on Thursday afternoon in the opening game of the American Legion Senior State Tournament at Cooper Park.
Blytheville (17-18) didn’t take the lead for good until the bottom of the seventh inning, but Rogers (11-12) couldn’t do much against Camp. Even the one run Rogers scored was unearned thanks to the only error Blytheville committed in the game.
“Usually we’re lucky to get under 130 from a pitcher over nine innings,” Blytheville Coach Blake Burnside said. “We feel pretty lucky to use just the one pitcher today, and for him to only throw 77pitches. Camp just keeps the ball down and throws strikes. He was pretty impressive today.”
Rogers scored its only run in the top of the fourth inning when catcher Austin Griffin reached on an error to start the inning. Tyler Greenhaw followed that with a single to right field before the Blytheville defense turned a double play on a grounder by Carter Forbis, but Griffin was able to score for the 1-0 lead.
Blytheville, which had left five runners stranded through the first four innings, finally got on the board in the bottom of the fifth when lead off batter Jamal Washington singled with one out and scored on a two-out base hit by Brady Jones.
The Casons took the lead with a run in the bottom of the seventh. Taylor Hopper led off with a single to center field. Then, with the bases loaded and one out, Hopper scored on a wild pitch by Nolan Farman - Rogers’ third pitcher of the game - for a 2-1 lead.
Blytheville put away the game in the bottom of the eighth inning, scoring 5 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks. With one out, Camp, Michael Miller and Hopper singled to load the bases before Farman threw his second wild pitch of the day, allowing Camp to score. With the bases loaded, Washington walked in a run and one more scored on a single by Ricky Gable before two scored on a single by Jones. The final run scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Ty Waggoner.
Blytheville finished with 11 hits, all singles. Washington, Gable, Jones and Hopper each had two for the Casons. Greenhaw had the only two hits for Rogers.
Camp, who will be a junior this fall at Gosnell, retired 16 of the final 17 batters he faced and recorded his only strikeout of the day in the top of the ninth inning. Camp did not walk a batter but hit Forbis with a pitch in the seventh.
The teams were scheduled to square off in a play-in game Tuesday at Cooper Park, but bad weather forced the game to be called after one inning. American Legion State Commissioner Gerald Cooper decided to go ahead and put both teams into the tournament, making it a nine-team bracket instead of an eight team bracket.
The tournament gets into full swing with four games today, beginning at 10 a.m. The defending state champion Bryant Black Sox will take on Blytheville in the third game.
Bryant brings a 34-3 record into the tournament and is one of the favorites to win it again this season. In fact, the last time the senior state tournament was held in Mountain Home in 2007, Bryant defeated Fayetteville twice in the championship round to take the state title.
Schedule - All times Central
AAA STATE TOURNAMENT Mountain Home
THURSDAY’S GAME Blytheville 7, Rogers 1
TODAY’S GAMES Game 2 Russellville vs. Bentonville, 10 a.m. Game 3 Texarkana vs. Jonesboro, 1 p.m. Game 4 Bryant vs. Blytheville, 4 p.m.
Game 5 N. Little Rock vs. Mt. Home, 7 p.m.
SATURDAY’S GAMES Game 6 Rogers vs. Loser Game 2, 9 a.m. Game 7 Loser Game 4 vs. Loser Game 5, noon Game 8 Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 3, 3 p.m.
Game 9 Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3, 6 p.m.
Game 10 Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 9 p.m.
SUNDAY’S GAMES Game 11 Winner Game 7 vs. Loser Game 9, noon Game 12 Loser Game 10 vs. Winner Game 8, 3:30 p.m.
Game 13 Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10, 7 p.m.
MONDAY’S GAMES Game 14 Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12, 4 p.m.
Game 15 Loser Game 13 vs. Winner Game 14, 7:30 p.m.
TUESDAY’S GAMES Game 16 Winner Game 13 vs. Winner Game 15, 4 p.m.
Game 17 If necessary, 7:30 p.m.
AA STATE TOURNAMENT Harrison
TODAY’S GAMES Game 1 Lonoke vs. Pangburn, noon Game 2 N. Little Rock vs. HS Village, 2:30 p.m.
Game 3 Clarksville vs. Lakeside, 5 p.m.
Game 4 White Hall vs. Harrison, 7:30 p.m.
SATURDAY’S GAMES Game 5 Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 3, noon Game 6 Loser Game 2 vs. Loser Game 4 Game 7 Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 3, 5 p.m.
Game 8 Winner Game 2 vs. WinnerGame 4
SUNDAY’S GAMES Game 9 Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 7, 1 p.m.
Game 10 Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 8, 4 p.m.
Game 11 Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8
MONDAY’S GAMES Game 12 Winner Game 9 vs. Loser Game 11, 4:30 p.m.
Game 13 Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 11, 7:30 p.m.
TUESDAY’S GAMES Game 14 Winner Game 12 vs. Winner Game 13, 4:30 p.m.
Game 15 If necessary, 7:30 p.m.
Sports, Pages 25 on 07/26/2013