Fayetteville
Bulldogs Make Most Of Western Swing
A spring break trip out west couldn't have gone much better for Fayetteville.
The Bulldogs played in the Coach Bob National Invitational, one of 105 teams in the tournament nationwide and one of three teams from Arkansas in the prestigious event with Rogers High and Fort Smith Southside also making the journey to Phoenix last week.
Fayetteville (9-2, 2-0) played out of the national division at the event and won all five games it played. That included a 2-1 victory March 22 against nationally ranked Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas.
"Andy (Pagnozzi) threw really well in that game and kept their hitters off balance," Fayetteville coach Vance Arnold said. "Then Drew Tyler stepped up there and got that big two-run homer, and I think our guys knew we weren't going to let that lead slip away.
"From what we heard, the Bishop Gorman pitcher had never been beat in high school, and you could tell their fans were shocked."
The Bulldogs defeated Phoenix O'Connor, another nationally ranked team, 4-1 and finished with wins against Colorado Springs (Colo.) Pine Creek, 9-6; Lake Oswego, Ore., 6-4; and Marion (Ill.) Catholic, 11-0.
"It was perfect 85-degree weather, and we were playing on great fields," Arnold said. "And our guys played up to our expectations.
"We had a lot of guys hit the ball around. We hit a home run in every game, and I can't tell you how many doubles and triples we knocked around."
Fayetteville returns to 7A/6A-West Conference play today, hosting Rogers High for a 4:30 p.m. doubleheader in a rematch of last year's Class 7A state finals. The Bulldogs then begin play Wednesday at the USA Classic in Memphis.
-- Vernon Tarver • @NWAVernon
Rogers High
Mounties Ready For Rematch
Rogers High (6-4, 2-0 7A/6A-West Conference) had a solid week against quality competition in Arizona during spring break, but the Mounties will face their biggest challenge of the year when they travel to Fayetteville today for a conference doubleheader.
Fayetteville defeated Rogers three times last season, including in the Class 7A State Championship game in Baum Stadium.
"We certainly respect the talent that Fayetteville has, but our kids are looking forward to the challenge," Rogers coach Matt Melson said. "It's a big task."
Rogers went 2-2 at the Coach Bob National Invitational Tournament in Phoenix while recording 36 hits in the four games. Sophomore outfielder Sage White is leading the Mounties' offense through 10 games with a .591 batting average that includes seven RBIs. Senior Timmy Seldomridge is batting .421 with seven RBIs.
Carter Forbis is the Mounties' RBI leader with 14, and he is batting .387 on the year. Brett Gentz (.400) and Bryce Bray (.385) also have seven RBIs each.
"We have started to put some things together, offensively," Melson said. "You wonder every year which player is really going to step up for you, and this year that has been Sage White."
Gentz will throw the first pitch against the Bulldogs today, while either Brett D'Amico or Nolan Farnan will start the nightcap.
-- Paul Nielsen • @nwapaul
Rogers Heritage
War Eagles Enjoy Solid Week In Florida
Rogers Heritage baseball coach Keith Kilgore had plenty of good things to say about his team following their weeklong trip to Pompano Beach, Fla.
The War Eagles (7-2, 2-0 7A/6A-West Conference) bounced back to win three in a row after losing their opener in the 16-team Hall of Fame National Classic. That included a 20-16 slugfest win over Battle Ground Academy of Franklin, Tenn., to win the consolation bracket Friday.
Heritage appeared to have the game Friday in-hand early, leading 12-2, but the War Eagles saw the big lead go away and were forced to rally in the late innings to win.
"I was proud of the way our guys responded there," Kilgore said. "They could have hung their heads. But they battled and found a way to win. We battled through some adversity and learned some things about our team."
Senior Colton Wetzler was selected to the all-tournament team. The left-hander pitched a shutout in Heritage's 4-0 win over Berkeley Prep of Tampa, Fla. He also went 6-for-11 at the plate with six RBIs and six runs scored in the four games. Jacob Kent and Dalton McKaughan also enjoyed good weeks. Kent went 6-for-10 with six RBIs, and McKaughan went 6-for-13 with five runs scored and four RBIs.
McKaughan also picked up the win on the mound, pitching 4 1/3 innings in relief. He struck out five and did not walk a batter.
Heritage gets back to 7A/6A-West play today by hosting Bentonville in a doubleheader, which begins at 4:30 p.m.
-- Paul Boyd • @nwapaulb
Springdale High
Johnson Providing Spark At Plate
Sophomore second baseman Carson Johnson started the season hitting at the bottom of the Springdale High lineup.
But it didn't take long for him to move to the top.
"We moved him into our leadoff spot after he had a couple good at-bats," Springdale coach Billy Ray Rutledge said.
He's produced since being moved to the top of the order, hitting a team-high .444 with a .571 on-base percentage and nine runs scored while also making an impact on defense early in his first year playing varsity baseball for the Bulldogs (4-7, 0-2).
"He's played some good defense for us at second base," Rutledge said. "He's the kind of guy at the top of the lineup that can work a count. He can also take a first-pitch fastball and get a base hit. That's the kind of guy that we like to have at the top."
Springdale will host Siloam Springs today in a 7A/6A-West doubleheader beginning at 4:30 p.m. at the Tyson Sports Complex.
-- Jimmy Carter • @NWAJimmy
Bentonville
Alabama Trip Proves Successful For Tigers
Bentonville returns to 7A/6A-West Conference play today after a successful spring break trip to Alabama playing in the Gulf Shores Classic 2.
Coach Todd Abbott said the trip proved to be more successful in more ways than just the 3-1 mark the Tigers (9-2) against schools in that state.
"We're still learning to be a team," Abbott said. "We've been really good about it so far, but we're still learning to work the process of the game and to compete with each and every pitch.
"We did face a little adversity there in the second game. We were able to take that and bounce back after the loss we had down there, and we did really well after that. That's a really good sign."
A number of players had a good week in Alabama, but nobody proved to be hotter than Brian Gloeckler. He finished the four-game series with a 7 of 14 performance at the plate with 10 RBIs, including four in a 19-7 route of West End, Ala.
"He's done well," Abbott said. "He's had a great spring so far, and he's really swinging the bat well. He's got a really good approach right now, and we're very pleased with what Brian is doing at the plate so far."
Bentonville (9-2) will continue its season on the road with a doubleheader against Rogers Heritage at 4:30 p.m. today at Veterans Park, then travel to North Little Rock for a nonconference game.
-- Henry Apple • @NWAHenry
Springdale Har-Ber
Wildcats Go 4-0 In Little Rock
Springdale Har-Ber recovered nicely after dropping a home doubleheader to Rogers Heritage two weeks ago to begin 7A/6A-West Conference play.
The Wildcats (6-2, 0-2) won four consecutive games in Little Rock over the weekend, capped by 7-6 victories over Russellville and Conway on Saturday. Har-Ber defeated El Dorado 3-1 and Springfield (Mo.) Kickapoo 4-1 in other tournament games.
"We'd only played two games before going against Rogers Heritage, so it kind of felt like a preseason game," Har-Ber coach Randy Salsbury said. "But losing a doubleheader got our attention, no doubt."
Sophomore left-hander Weston Rogers struck out 12 batters in five innings to earn the victory over El Dorado. Infielder Matt Kimbel led Har-Ber at the plate when he went a combined 7-for-8 in the two victories over Russellville and Conway on Saturday.
"Matt got his chances in some key spots, and he came through for us," Salsbury said.
Har-Ber will return to conference action at 4:30 p.m. today with a doubleheader at Van Buren at the Field of Dreams complex.
-- Rick Fires • @NWARick
Sports on 04/01/2014