Baseball Hit by pitch sends LR Central past Rogers High

FAYETTEVILLE -- A rare walk-off, bases-loaded hit by pitch was the final tipping point to an otherwise back-and-forth even pitcher's duel Thursday.

Little Rock Central was the final beneficiary, when Rogers High pitcher Derek Sallee hit Dakotah Stafford with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning and lifted the Tigers to a 2-1 victory in Class 7A Tournament baseball first-round play at Bulldog Field.

7A State Baseball Tournament

Little Rock Central 2, Rogers High 1 (10)

Rogers High^000^010^000^0^—^1^5^2

LR Central^000^100^000^1—^2^4^2

Treacy, Sallee (9) and Ivey; Abraham, Mann (9) and Stafford. W - Mann. L - Sallee. HR - none.

"You'll take them anyway you can get them here in the middle of May," Central coach Rusty Passini said. "I hadn't seen that happen in high school baseball, a walk-off hit by pitch. But we'll take it anyway we can get it."

LRCentral starting pitcher Nathan Abraham and Rogers counterpart Billy Treacy matched one another pitch for pitch through eight innings. Abraham allowed just one unearned run on three hits with three walks and two strikeouts, while Treacy gave up just one run and three hits in his eight innings with five walks and six strikeouts.

"That's as well as (Billy) has thrown all year," Rogers coach Matt Melson said. "We couldn't have asked for anything else."

Arkansas Activities Association rules don't allow pitchers to throw more than eight innings in a state tournament game. With both starters forced off the mound, the Tigers (17-13) turned to their closer Tucker Mann for the final two innings. Rogers (12-16) countered with ace Derek Sallee, who was sharp in the ninth before running into trouble in the bottom of the 10th.

Mann helped his cause with a one-out single to start the rally in the 10th. Rashad Townsend followed with a walk and after a fly-out to center by Cole Weber, another walk to Dylan Chilcote set up the bases-loaded, two-out situation between Sallee and Stafford.

After taking the first pitch from Sallee, Stafford -- who also added a double and a run scored in the fourth inning -- took a pitch square in the back to end the game.

"I'm proud of the way our guys competed all day and all season long," Melson said. "It just stinks the way it had to end."

The Tigers advance to face 7A-West Conference top seed Fayetteville (26-3). The Bulldogs eliminated Central in last year's 7A state tournament quarterfinals, needing a seventh-inning rally to win, 6-5.

"(Fayetteville) put us out last year in the best game I've ever been a part of," Passini said. "I'm glad we get another crack at one of the best teams in the state and we'll take our chances."

Sports on 05/15/2015

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