Class 5A baseball state championship

Goblins rely on 'toughest sucker'

Harrison catcher Tel Parker (second from left) celebrates with teammates after the Goblins held off White Hall for a 2-1 victory Saturday in the Class 5A baseball state championship game at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville. More photos are available at arkansasonline.com/galleries.
Harrison catcher Tel Parker (second from left) celebrates with teammates after the Goblins held off White Hall for a 2-1 victory Saturday in the Class 5A baseball state championship game at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville. More photos are available at arkansasonline.com/galleries.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Drew Fitzgerald is a hefty left-hander who'll play next season at College of the Ozarks in Hollister, Mo.

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© NWA Democrat-Gazette

Starter Andrew Fitzgerald of Harrison celebrates against White Hall Saturday, May 23, 2015, after recurring the final out of the fifth inning of the Class 5A state championship game at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville. Visit nwadg.com/photos to see more photographs from the game.

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© NWA Democrat-Gazette

Starter Daniel Sprinkle of White Hall delivers a pitch Saturday, May 23, 2015, against Harrison during the first inning of the Class 5A state championship game at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville. Visit nwadg.com/photos to see more photographs from the game.

Daniel Sprinkle, his opponent on the mound Saturday, is an imposing two-sport athlete who'll play baseball next season at Auburn.

That didn't matter Saturday.

Fitzgerald was named MVP after leading Harrison to a 2-1 victory over White Hall in the Class 5A state championship game at Baum Stadium.

Fitzgerald received some help from Hunter Marshall, who retired the last three batters after Alec Hartz led off the seventh inning with a double for White Hall, but it was Fitzgerald who gave the Bulldogs the most trouble as he held White Hall to 1 run and 5 hits over 6 innings.

"I was amped up knowing I was going to get the ball and he was going to get the ball," Fitzgerald said of his matchup with Sprinkle. "But I can't do anything without these guys playing with me. I'm not going to throw it by anybody, and they played great defense behind me."

Sprinkle settled down after Harrison sent eight players to the plate in the first inning and scored two runs on consecutive RBI singles by Hunter Humphrey and Silas Huskey. Sprinkle walked three batters in the first but left the bases loaded when he struck out Austin Armstrong.

The Goblins (22-6) didn't score again against the 6-4 right-hander, who began the day with a 9-2 record and a 1.57 earned run average. He allowed 3 hits with 5 walks and 5 strikeouts.

"He [Sprinkle] is a heck of a pitcher," Harrison Coach Greg Crow said. "He's everything as advertised, but Drew, all he does is make pitches and our kids rally behind him.

"He's the toughest sucker I've ever coached."

Kirk Baugh hit a home run to left field for White Hall's only run in the first inning. He was intentionally walked to load the bases in the third inning, and the strategy worked when Fitzgerald retired cleanup hitter Layne Hartsfield on a foul pop-up.

White Hall (18-8) put the potential tying run on second base in the seventh when Hartz led off with a double. Crow brought in Marshall from second base, and Conner Freeman laid down a sacrifice bunt that advanced Hartz to third with one out.

That brought up No. 9 hitter Bailey Smith, who struck out. Marshall ended the game when leadoff batter Antoine Luster flew out to right field.

White Hall Coach Skip Carr said he briefly considered attempting to bunt the tying run home with the No. 9 hitter but decided to let Smith swing away.

" Bailey is a good hitter," Carr said. "We were thinking we could find a hole or get the ball into the outfield and get the run in.

"Our offense is better than what we showed. We just didn't produce today."

White Hall was denied its third state title in four years. It was Harrison's second state championship, with its first coming 2008.

Sports on 05/24/2015

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