VAN BUREN — Van Buren made it interesting late, but Bentonville held on to take the opening game of the 7A/6A-West Conference baseball season 9-7 against Wednesday at The Field of Dreams complex.
Bentonville leadoff hitter Troy Cahill set the table with three hits and a pair of RBIs, including an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning when his single scored Blake Werner.
HOW THEY SCORED
Game 1
BENTONVILLE 9, VAN BUREN 7
Bentonville^024^200^1^-^9^10^1
Van Buren^300^004^0^-^7^9^4
Rosales, Fitch (6) and Koenigseder; Eversole. Butterworth (4), Froud (7) and Hogan. W - Rosales, 2-0. L - Eversole, 0-1. HRs - none.
Game 2
VAN BUREN 2, BENTONVILLE 1
Bentonville^000^010^0^-^1^3^1
Van Buren^110^000^x^-^2^3^0
Ford, Cahill (6) and Koenigseder; Anders and Hogan. W - Anders, 1-1. L - Ford, 1-1. HRs - none.
Werner also drove in a pair of runs with a double in the second inning, scoring Chad Musteen and Gloeckler that cut an early Van Buren lead to 3-2.
Bentonville (5-1, 1-1) took a 6-3 lead in the third inning on an RBI-double by Will Jibas, who scored on a single by Brian Gloeckler. Werner singled with two out and scored on Cahill's single to cap an unusual inning with two Bentonville runners thrown out at the plate.
Bentonville added two more runs in the fourth on a two-base, two-out error, scoring Kane Koenigseder and Jibas.
"We had a lot of good at-bats in the first game up and down the lineup," Bentonville coach Todd Abbott said. "It makes a difference."
Van Buren took a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run double by Spencer Rabin, scoring Jake Bogner and Levi Froud, who both walked to open the bottom of the first. Rapin scored on catcher Hunter Hogan's single.
Van Buren scored four runs in the sixth inning, trimming Bentonville's lead to 8-7. Bogner was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, scoring home Zed Steinmetz. Froud followed with a two-run single, and Logan Needham singled home another run.
Game 2
Van Buren 2, Bentonville 1
Taylor Anders tossed four hitless innings and struck out nine in going the distance.
Anders needed just six pitches in the seventh inning to close out the complete-game gem and salvage a doubleheader split for the Pointers (2-5, 1-1).
Van Buren scratched out single runs in each of the opening two innings against Bentonville's Kasey Ford.
Koenigseder singled with an out in the sixth inning for Bentonville, but Anders retired the final five batters on four pop outs and a ground ball.
Ford yielded just an earned run but walked three and hit three but struck out 10.
"He struggled a little bit early, but he settled in," Abbott said. "I'm proud of the way he threw."
Sports on 03/20/2014