Baseball: Bentonville Takes Pair From Rogers High

 STAFF PHOTO JASON IVESTER Timmy Seldomridge of Rogers High safely slides into second Tuesday as the ball gets past Bentonville's Blake Werner during the game at Bentonville.

STAFF PHOTO JASON IVESTER Timmy Seldomridge of Rogers High safely slides into second Tuesday as the ball gets past Bentonville's Blake Werner during the game at Bentonville.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

— A late-inning gamble was one Bentonville baseball coach Todd Abbott was willing to take, and it gave the Tigers some additional breathing room Tuesday.

With his team clinging to a one-run lead, Abbott chose to have his baserunners take off on a 3-2 pitch with one out. It worked and led to a three-run outburst as Bentonville took a 7-3 victory over Rogers High in the first game of a 7A/6A-West Conference doubleheader at the Tiger Athletic Complex.

BENTONVILLE 7, ROGERS HIGH 3

Rogers^100^020^0^—^3^5^1

Bentonville^003^103^x^—^7^8^0

Gentz, Salley (4) and Ivey; Ford and Koenigseder. W-Ford, 4-3. L-Gentz, 2-2. Sv-None. HR-None.

BENTONVILLE 5, ROGERS HIGH 0

Rogers^000^000^0^—0^6^1

Bentonville^140^000^x^—^5^6^1

D’Amico, Farnan (2) and Ivey; Rosales and Koenigseder. W-Rosales, 5-1. L-D’Amico, 1-3. Sv-None. HR-None.

Cody Scroggins ripped a shot into left field that barely missed Jared Hines, a courtesy runner after Kane Koenigseder reached on an error. Hines scored to make it a 5-3 game, then the Tigers added two more runs when Brian Gloeckler scored from second on a wild pitch and Scroggins came home on Ben Nordin's double.

"I feel like Cody has been swinging the bat pretty well," Abbott said. "With a 3-2 pitch, they're probably not looking to walk him.

"So we took a chance, and it paid off. Cody did a good job of hitting the ball, and Jared did a great job of avoiding the ball and scoring."

Nordin was instrumental in a three-run outburst that gave Bentonville the lead for good after Rogers took a 1-0 lead on Timmy Seldomridge's triple and Zach Arrick's double to start the game. Nordin and Blake Werner led off the third with singles and scored on a triple by Paul Rouse, who later scored on a Troy Cahill single.

Bentonville made it 4-1 in the fourth on a double Gloeckler and an RBI single by Chad Musteen before Rogers made things interesting in the fifth. Brett Gentz forced in a run with a bases-loaded walk, then Carter Forbis drove in another when he was hit by a pitch before Kasey Ford struck out Brett D'Amico to end the Mounties' threat.

"Their guys in the order hit the ball when they were supposed to, and we didn't," Rogers coach Matt Melson said. "They did more opportunistic than we were at the plate, and their sophomore outpitched us.

"After three pitches, it looked pretty good and I thought we had a chance to put up a crooked number in the first, especially with a runner at second and nobody out. We didn't drive him in, and that set the tone. We have some spots that aren't producing right now."

Game 2

Bentonville 5, Rogers High 0

Preston Rosales scattered six hits, and Brian Gloeckler drove in three runs as Bentonville completed a doubleheader sweep of Rogers.

Rosales (5-1) struck out seven and walked one while allowing only Rogers players to reach second. Gloeckler gave the Tigers (15-4, 5-3) the only offense in the first when his two-out single drove in Cahill, then he added a two-run single during Bentonville's four-run outburst in the second.

Rogers starter Brett D'Amico (1-3) did not make it through the second and took the loss for the Mounties (10-8, 4-4)

Sports on 04/16/2014