BENTONVILLE -- Fort Smith looked to have seized the momentum in the fifth inning of the Senior Babe Ruth North state baseball tournament finals Sunday evening, but Gentry grabbed it right back.
The Gentry Rebels scored seven runs on only two hits in the bottom of the fifth to grab an 8-4 victory and claim the 18-and-under state title at Phillips Park.
Senior Babe Ruth North State Tournament
At Phillips Park, Bentonville
18U Division
Fort Smith^000^120^
Gentry^010^070^x^—^8^6
Ramos, Krepps (5) and Ray; Taylor and Barker.
!6U Division
Bentonville 10, NWA All-Stars 4
NWA All-Stars^200^002^0^—^4^4^5
Bentonville^420^211^x^—^10^8^1
Rose, Hudson (3), Taylor (5), Johnston (5) and Morris; Lyons and Hamm, Hale (2). W-Lyons. L-Rose.
Gentry, which cruised through the double-elimination tournament undefeated, will now advance to play in the Southwest Regional tournament in Nederland, Texas, July 18-22.
The Rebels took advantage of five walks and a Fort Smith error to turn a 3-1 deficit into an 8-3 lead.
That came after Fort Smith snapped a 1-1 tie with two runs in the top of the inning and Gentry manager Shawn Haag was ejected for arguing with the umpire.
Haag didn't see the rally since he was forced to leave the park, but also said his team needed a wakeup call.
"We were nervous early," Haag said. "I was really proud of them though. We've got five 16-year-olds on this team. They needed to get woke up. They responded."
Austin Hunt's two-run double capped the big inning, but Zac Jones and Cash Hayes each drew bases-loaded walks. Trent Osburn also added a run-scoring double.
C.J. Taylor finished out the victory on the mound, picking up the complete-game victory. The right-hander allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits. He struck out 11, walked one and hit a batter.
Taylor, who also went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored at the plate, got a little redemption with his big performance in the state finals, according to Haag.
"He pitched in the state finals in the spring as a sophomore at Kansas, Okla.," said Hagg, who is Taylor's uncle. "He lost 2-0, so this was great for him. He pitched an incredible ballgame."
Payton Morris went 2-for-3 with an RBI to lead Fort Smith.
16U
Bentonville 10
NWA All-Stars 4
Bentonville took advantage of some shoddy defense by the Northwest Arkansas All-Stars early to jump in front and never looked back to win the tournament.
Bentonville, which forced a third and deciding game with a 3-2 win on Saturday. scored six runs in the first two innings aided by three NWA All-Star errors to grab an early 6-2 lead.
Nathan Lyons overcame some wildness to earn the complete-game victory, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits. The right-hander struck out eight, but also walked eight and hit a batter.
Steven Hamm went 3-for-4, drove in two and scored a run to lead the Bentonville offense, while leadoff man Cody Moore went 2-for-3 with an intentional walk and scored twice. Bentonville benefited from five NWA errors.
Nick Been went 2-for-4 and drove in a run to lead Northwest Arkansas, which won the first game 10-7 on Friday. There is no regional for the 16-and-under division.
Sports on 07/07/2014