CLASS 7A BASEBALL

Conway wins, Fayetteville fumes

Conway reliever Cade Tucker celebrates after a check-swing attempt was ruled a strikeout for the fi nal out during Saturday’s Class 7A state baseball tournament semifinal game against Fayetteville at Bulldog Field in Fayetteville.
Conway reliever Cade Tucker celebrates after a check-swing attempt was ruled a strikeout for the fi nal out during Saturday’s Class 7A state baseball tournament semifinal game against Fayetteville at Bulldog Field in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Fayetteville checked out a little early Saturday at the Class 7A baseball state tournament.

Conway denied the Bulldogs a third consecutive trip to the state championship game, edging Fayetteville 3-2 in the semifinals at Bulldog Field on a controversial third-strike call that ended the game.

Conway reliever Cade Tucker struck out Cody Davenport on an 0-2 pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning when the home-plate umpire called Davenport out on a check swing. The game ended on the call, even as Fayetteville Coach Vance Arnold engaged in a heated exchange with the umpire.

The third-strike call was the second controversial call of the inning by the home-plate umpire that went against the Bulldogs.

Fayetteville's Drew Tyler appeared to reach base on a slow grounder to third to lead off the inning when it was ruled that Conway first baseman Jordan Wicks' foot had come off the base on the play, but that call was overturned by the home-plate umpire.

That call also brought Arnold out of the dugout.

Arnold said after the game that he was upset with the umpire for making both calls in such a crucial situation.

"[The home plate umpire] didn't have to make that call [at first base], and he didn't have to make that checkswing call," Arnold said. "If we bunt to second base with the three and four hole hitters coming up, anything can happen."

Conway Coach Noel Boucher described the called third strike as "iffy" and admitted that the Wampus Cats (25-4) were prepared to appeal the call had it not been ruled a strike.

"Here we are at their home place, it's the semifinals, and we're both playing great ball and it's a great crowd in a great atmosphere here at the end of the year," Boucher said. "We were lucky to be up 3-2 at the end.

"It was just a great game."

Conway kept the pressure on Fayetteville from the start.

A leadoff single by McCall Dail and an RBI single to left by Jacob Adams gave the Wampus Cats a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. A misplayed pop-up on a ball lost in the sun kept a rally going in the top of the fourth, and Conway added its second run on a two-out RBI single by Wicks.

Conway starting pitcher Matt Strickland kept Fayetteville (27-4) off balance in the early innings, but the Bulldogs began to chip away with a run in the bottom of the fifth inning when Davenport drew a two-out, bases-loaded walk against Tucker.

The Wampus Cats responded in the sixth to regain their two-run lead. Grayson Pinkett doubled with one out, and courtesy runner Brayden Leach eventually scored on a wild pitch by Davenport for a 3-1 lead.

"That was big," Boucher said. "We came back up and kept playing. We've been preaching that all year, just keep playing and don't worry about what's going on."

The Bulldogs had plenty of chances in the fifth and sixth innings but failed to take advantage of them. Fayetteville loaded the bases in both innings but came away with one run in each inning.

"They took advantage of their breaks," Arnold said. "We battled back a couple of times and they held us to one run in those innings.

"It felt like a classic championship-type game, and this easily could have been the championship. If we just could have gotten the timely hit when we had the bases loaded, but we didn't."

BENTONVILLE 3, SPRINGDALE HAR-BER 1

BENTONVILLE -- Springdale Har-Ber starter Michael King held Bentonville hitless for the first five innings, but the Tigers (20-8) broke loose for three runs in the bottom of the sixth to rallied past the Wildcats (23-10) and advance to the championship game.

Har-Ber tried to mount a rally of its own in the top of the seventh, loading the bases with two outs, but Bentonville senior Preston Rosales came on to retire Josh Stephens to groundout to the shortstop to end the game.

"We were able to take advantage of the moment, the momentum there in the sixth," Bentonville Coach Todd Abbott said. "You could just feel that momentum swell and, wow, our guys took advantage and here we are."

Brian Gloeckler led off the sixth with a double to right field for Bentonville's first hit. After Ben Nordin walked, designed hitter Kasey Ford laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third. The Tigers tied the game on a passed ball and took the lead on a fielder's choice groundout by Matt Braspies.

Bentonville added an insurance run in the sixth on Blake Werner's RBI single that made it 3-1.

Tigers starter Drew Young improved to 7-1, allowing 1 run on 6 hits over 6 2/3 innings. He struck out six and walked two.

Baseball at a glance

CLASS 7A AT FAYETTEVILLE

SATURDAY’S SEMIFINALS

Game 9 Conway 3, Fayetteville 2 Game 10 Bentonville 3, Springdale Har-Ber 1

FRIDAY’S GAME Championship At Baum Stadium, Fayetteville

Conway vs. Bentonville, 3 p.m.

CLASS 6A AT TEXARKANA

SATURDAY’S SEMIFINALS

Game 9 Benton 6, Russellville 0 Game 10 Sheridan 13, Jonesboro 1

SATURDAY’S GAME Championship At Baum Stadium, Fayetteville

Benton vs. Sheridan, 3 p.m.

CLASS 5A AT HARRISON

SATURDAY’S SEMIFINALS

Game 13 Harrison 11, Magnolia 1 (5 innings) Game 14 White Hall 10, Sylvan Hills 4

SATURDAY’S GAME Championship At Baum Stadium, Fayetteville

Harrison vs. White Hall, 12:30 p.m.

CLASS 4A AT GOSNELL

MONDAY’S GAMES

Game 7 Hamburg vs. Shiloh Christian, noon Game 8 Brookland vs. Ashdown, noon

Semifinals

Game 9 Arkadelphia vs. Game 7 winner, 2:30 p.m. Game 10 Star City vs. Game 8 winner, 2:30 p.m.

FRIDAY’S GAME Championship At Baum Stadium, Fayetteville

Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 10 a.m.

CLASS 3A AT GENOA CENTRAL

SATURDAY’S SEMIFINALS

Game 13 Mayflower 15, Benton Harmony Grove 2 Game 14 Fordyce 4, Horatio 2

SATURDAY’S GAME Championship At Baum Stadium, Fayetteville

Mayflower vs. Fordyce, 10 a.m.

CLASS 2A AT MARKED TREE

MONDAY’S SEMIFINALS

Game 13 Magnet Cove vs. Riverside, noon Game 14 Ouachita vs. Junction City, 2:30 p.m.

FRIDAY’S GAME Championship At Baum Stadium, Fayetteville

Game 13 winner vs. Game 14 winner, 5:30 p.m.

CLASS 1A AT TAYLOR

SATURDAY’S RESULTS

Game 11 County Line 9, Sacred Heart 2 Game 12 Taylor 8, Viola 1

MONDAY’S SEMIFINALS

Game 13 Armorel vs. County Line, noon Game 14 Scranton vs. Taylor 12, 2:30 p.m.

FRIDAY’S GAME Championship At Baum Stadium, Fayetteville

Game 13 winner vs. Game 14 winner, 12:30 p.m.

Sports on 05/17/2015

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