Rogers High
Mounties Rebound
It's crunch time for Rogers High as the Mounties must possibly finish the 7A/6A-West Conference schedule with four wins to extend the season to the state tournament. Rogers hosts Siloam Springs on Thursday before finishing the regular season next week against second-place Rogers Heritage.
Rogers has lost its last four conference games and is tied with Van Buren for the final playoff spot from the West. The Mounties swept Van Buren earlier this season and hold the head-to-head tiebreaker. Van Buren plays Heritage on Thursday before closing the regular season against Siloam Springs.
The Mounties (12-11) will take a two-game winning streak into the Siloam Springs doubleheader after winning a pair of games at a tournament in Lawrence, Kan., last weekend. Rogers defeated Lawrence 7-3 on Friday, and Shawnee Mission West 4-3 on Saturday.
"I felt like we got it going in the right direction in Kansas after a couple of tough games last Thursday," Rogers coach Matt Melson said. "We are going to have to take care of business at home. These are games we need to win if we are going to keep our hopes alive of going to the state tournament."
In Saturday's win, Billy Treacy struck out eight and allowed five hits in 6 2/3 innings of work while Derek Sallee got the save for the Mounties. Timmy Seldomridge and Nolan Farnan had two hits each for Rogers while Carter Forbis had two RBIs. Brett D'Amico also recorded an RBI for the Mounties.
"I think Billy can help us down the stretch here," Melson said. "He threw a lot of strikes, and he had good arm action. He is a competitor."
Springdale Har-Ber
Top Pitching On Display
Runs could be scarce when Springdale Har-Ber faces Bentonville on Thursday at the Randall Tyson Recreational Complex.
Bentonville has allowed only one run in its last three games, while Har-Ber allowed only one run while sweeping Rogers High last week. The Tigers (19-4, 7-3) are currently third, and Har-Ber (18-6, 5-5) is fourth in the 7A/6A-West Conference standings heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.
"Both teams seem to be pitching and defending well," Har-Ber coach Randy Salsbury said. "I know Bentonville can hit, so our guys need to take up the challenge and put some good at-bats together. If we can hit like we are capable, this team has a chance to be special."
Gus Vitt had a two-out RBI, single in the seventh to beat Rogers 2-1 and Matt Kimbel followed with a home run in a 2-0 victory over the Mounties. Weston Rogers struck out 11 to complete the sweep for the Wildcats.
Bentonville beat Berryhill, Okla., 6-1 after sweeping Siloam Springs 10-0 and 9-1 in conference play. Paul Rouse went 3 for 3 for the Tigers, while Cody Scroggins and two relievers combined on a five-hitter.
-- RICK FIRES • @NWARICK
Fayetteville
Another Ace Arm
Fayetteville has two conference starting pitchers that have been as good and even better than advertised this season. While senior lefty Kyle Pate (7-2, 0.43 ERA) and junior right-hander Andy Pagnozzi (8-0, 0.14 ERA) receive much of the hype around the Bulldogs' staff, another Fayetteville pitcher is having quite a strong season on the mound as well.
Junior Cody Davenport pitched a complete-game two-hit shutout Saturday, his second consecutive complete-game shutout, as the Bulldogs edged Deer Creek, Okla., 1-0, in a nonconference matchup. Both teams were limited to just two hits and Fayetteville (22-3, 10-0 7A/6A-West) scored its only run on a passed ball.
Davenport is now 4-1 on the season with a 1.25 ERA, and also leads the Purple'Dogs at the plate with a .411 average, four home runs and 21 RBIs.
Fayetteville visits Springdale High for a conference doubleheader Thursday, then hosts Stillwater, Okla., on Friday. The Bulldogs close out the week at 2:30 p.m. Saturday against Kansas City Rockhurst.
Look for Fayetteville to hold back Pagnozzi and Pate against Stillwater and Rockhurst with Walker Powell, Ethan King, John Buschelle and Connor Shaw likely candidates to get the pitching opportunities against Springdale.
-- VERNON TARVER • @NWAVernon
Bentonville
Tigers Determine Fate On Road
Bentonville has already secured a spot in the Class 7A State Tournament, but the last four games will determine its postseason position.
The Tigers (19-4, 7-3 7A/6A-West) will have their fate determined on the road as they travel to Springdale Har-Ber for a Thursday doubleheader before closing out league play next week at Fayetteville.
"That's just the way it works out," Bentonville coach Todd Abbott said. "It's a tough slate to go to Har-Ber and to Fayetteville to finish our conference play. That's a challenge, but hopefully they will be ready for it."
Bentonville heads to Har-Ber with a two-game lead over the Wildcats (18-6, 5-5) in the league standings. A sweep means Bentonville would finish the season no lower than the No. 4 seed in the conference, which means the Tigers could be designated as a home team during first-round action in the state tournament.
"The goal was just to get there," Abbott said. "To be a home team would be nice because you would get that last at-bat, obviously.
"The fact is that we made it this far and we're playing pretty good baseball right now. We've got to continue to focus on that right now, and the rest of the chips will fall where they may."
-- HENRY APPLE • @NWAHenry
Sports on 04/29/2014