SHERIDAN -- Mountain Home had enough left in the tank after two slim victories to hold off Sheridan on Saturday and continue its postseason run.
Carson Yarbrough's RBI single in the top of the seventh gave the Bombers a lead they wouldn't relinquish in their 3-2, come-from-behind victory over Sheridan in the semifinals of the Class 6A state baseball tournament.
"All year long, these kids have never quit," Mountain Home Coach Tim Tejcek said. "Our record doesn't show it, and people sometimes only see that. But these kids have bought into what we've been preaching, and it's showed at just the right time."
Mountain Home (10-19) entered the tournament having lost 13 of its past 14 games, but according to Tejcek, his team has played its best baseball over the past three days and will carry that momentum to Baum Stadium in Fayetteville next week with a chance to win a state title against Jonesboro.
But the Bombers, who upset Pine Bluff in their tournament opener and Alma in the second round, needed late-inning heroics for the second day in a row to take down the defending state champions.
Sheridan (20-9) had grabbed a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth on Chance Wallingford's RBI double and was one strike away from advancing to their second consecutive final. But McClain Edington's RBI single on a 3-2 pitch tied the game at 2-2. Three pitches later, Yarbrough hit a ball through the left-field gap to put Mountain Home ahead.
The Bombers had to weather a few tense moments in Sheridan's half of the inning, but starting pitcher Marshall Roberson got Hunter Hicks to fly out to end the game, setting off a wild celebration on the infield.
"I was just looking for three innings out of him, and he gives me seven," Tejcek said of Roberson. "How about the job he did? He's got two wins and a save in the tournament. That's just phenomenal.
"For him to put together that kind of performance, against that team on their home field is big time."
Luke Jackson's RBI single in the second gave Mountain Home a 1-0 lead, but Sheridan battled back to tie it when Brady Bibb scored on Tyler Cleveland's sacrifice bunt in the fifth. The Yellowjackets threatened to score more, but Roberson got consecutive outs to end the inning.
Mountain Home also had a prime chance to score in the sixth but had a runner thrown out at home. The Bombers, however, made sure they cashed in on their opportunities in the seventh.
"This is big for these kids and our community," Tejcek said. "We struggle in football, we struggle in basketball, and I want them to know how it feels to win. So to get a chance to play for a title is almost indescribable."
Eddington finished with three hits for the Bombers while Yarbrough and Jackson had two each. McKinley Williams led Sheridan with two hits.
JONESBORO 5, GREENWOOD 2
A two-run third inning gave Jonesboro (17-6) a lead it never relinquished in advancing to the championship game for the first time since winning the title in 2013.
Greenwood pushed across a run in the top of the first inning before Jonesboro scored on two bases-loaded walks to take a 2-1 lead in the third. Jonesboro added to its advantage in the fifth on Sam Edwards' RBI single and Noah Gatlin's RBI double. The Bulldogs later climbed to within 4-2 on Hunter Cardwell's RBI in the top of the sixth, but the Hurricane tacked on an additional run in the bottom half of the inning to hold on.
Sports on 05/15/2016