Springdale High Walks Past Prairie Grove

STAFF PHOTO ANDY SHUPE Matt Sherry, Springdale High starter, delivers a pitch Wednesday during the first inning against Prairie Grove at Bob Lyall Field in Springdale.

STAFF PHOTO ANDY SHUPE Matt Sherry, Springdale High starter, delivers a pitch Wednesday during the first inning against Prairie Grove at Bob Lyall Field in Springdale.

Thursday, March 13, 2014

— Kyler Johnston drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the winning run as Springdale High edged Prairie Grove 3-2 in eight innings Wednesday at Bob Lyall Field.

Johnston's five-pitch walk off Tigers' relief pitcher Brandon May brought home courtesy runner Quiency Patton from third base as the Bulldogs scratched out a nonconference win at the Tyson Sports Complex.

HOW THEY SCORED

SPRINGDALE HIGH 3, PRAIRIE GROVE 2

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Tice, May (8) and Sugg; Sherry and B. Castanon. W - Sherry, 0-1. L - Tice, 0-1. HRs — Springdale, Sherry (1).

Patton was running for Bulldogs catcher Brandon Castanon, who led off the bottom of the eighth by reaching on a dropped third strike. Eric Brumfield laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Patton to second. After Prairie Grove (0-3) intentionally walked Carson Johnson, the Bulldogs loaded the bases when Chase Carpenter was hit by a pitch.

May, who came on in relief of starter Ty Tice, could not locate the strike zone in a five-pitch walk to Johnston.

Springdale starter Matt Sherry scattered five hits and worked around some defensive mistakes to get the win. Sherry struck out seven in going the distance.

"Matt Sherry did a heck of a job," Springdale coach Billy Rutledge said. "Those guys are scrappy. They got us last year. But we have all the confidence in the world in him when he's on the mound. We have a chance to win every time he pitches."

The Bulldogs (1-1), who will play two games today in the Dover Tournament, worked Tice for a 26-pitch first inning and scratched out a run when Sherry led off with a walk and later scored on Castanon's RBI groundout.

In the second, Sherry launched a solo home run over the 345-foot sign in left-center field to stake himself a 2-0 lead.

Tice, who has signed with Central Arkansas, settled down after the Sherry homer and allowed just one hit the rest of the way, an infield single in the fifth inning by Castanon.

"I don't think he got warm until about the third inning," Prairie Grove coach Mitch Cameron said. "He was struggling against his body early. He was tight. But about the third inning he was hitting spots, curve ball started working. That's why I let him go a little longer today than I normally would on the first day out. He's been throwing bullpens."

Prairie Grove scored a run in the third inning on a Derek Arguello lead off walk, a Springdale error and a passed ball. The Tigers tied it in the fourth when Nick Sugg singled and courtesy runner Connor West scored on a passed ball.

The Tigers put two runners on in the fifth, but only got one baserunner the rest of the way.

Prairie Grove will head to Vian, Okla., to play a pair of games this weekend.

Sports on 03/13/2014