BENTON -- Junior Austin Nix went 2 for 4 and drove in four runs as Texarkana rolled to an 11-1 victory over Jacksonville in the first round of the Class 6A state tournament at Panther Field on Friday.
The game started Thursday night, but rain forced tournament officials to suspend the game in the bottom of the second inning with Texarkana leading 1-0.
The Razorbacks (11-16) were in complete control Friday, scoring five runs in both the third and fourth innings.
Nix drove in a run with a ground ball in the first inning, singled in a run in the third before hitting a two-run single in the fourth.
Texarkana junior pitcher Dylan Adcock struck out 9 and walked 4 while allowing 4 hits.
Jacksonville (15-14) scored its lone run came in the third inning when senior Kameron Whitmore's single drove in junior Gabe Hensley, who had led off the inning with a triple.
The remainder of Friday's scheduled 6A games were rained out. Games will restart at 10 a.m. today.
CLASS 5A
Rain slows Greenbrier
Only Mother Nature could halt Greenbrier's offense Friday afternoon.
The Panthers scored 11 runs on 10 hits in the first 2 1/3 innings against Sylvan Hills in the quarterfinals of the Class 5A state baseball tournament. But a weather delay with one out in the top of the third inning eventually led to the postponement of their game and the rest of Friday's state tournament schedule at Mike Bromley Field in Sherwood.
Greenbrier and Sylvan Hills will resume their game at 10 a.m. today with the Panthers holding an 11-1 lead. Magnolia will face Farmington at 12:30 p.m. in the first of three quarterfinal games after the completion of Greenbrier-Sylvan Hills.
Greenbrier took a 6-0 lead in the top of the first inning against Sylvan Hills starting pitcher Nick Fakouri. Cayden Wallace and Hunter Milligan each hit RBI doubles, Kane Thornton had a two-run single and the Panthers scored two more runs on a passed ball and a fielding error.
Sylvan Hills got a run in the bottom of the first inning on Fakouri's sacrifice fly, but Greenbrier came right back in the second inning. Thornton had his second two-run single of the game to make it 8-1 Panthers.
In the third inning, the Panthers stretched their lead to 9-1, scoring on a passed ball. Paxton Wallace hit a two-run home run off Sylvan Hills reliever Ryan Lumpkin for their 11-1 advantage.
-- Jeremy Muck
CLASS 2A
Patriots win
LEPANTO — Palestine-Wheatley edged Conway Christian 2-1 Friday to advance to the semifinals of the Class 2A state tournament.
Palestine Wheatley (25-5) plays Spring Hill (23-9) at noon today, weather permitting, with the winner advancing to Fayetteville next weekend to play for the 2A title.
Palestine Wheatley senior Lane Teal worked into the seventh inning to get the win, but was not on the mound for the final out after reaching his pitch count with two outs after beginning the seventh inning with just six pitches left. He used those six pitches to retire Conway Christian’s Jackson Quick on a routine flyl to center field for the first out and Jacob Wood on a groundout back to the mound.
Catcher Jarrod Ferguson was called on to close out the game by Palestine Wheatley Coach Andrew Loe.
Ferguson struck out junior Winston Strawn looking on a called third strike to end the game.
Teal, who could not get out of the first inning on Thursday against Poyen, yielded 1 Conway Christian run on 4 hits and 4 walks while striking out 3. Conway Christian (25-4), one of three teams earning a first-round bye, took a 1-0 lead in the first on a two-out RBI double by Seth Smith, scoring Strawn, who had singled past Palestine Wheatley shortstop Nick Murphy.
Palestine-Wheatley went ahead in the sixth after singles by Drake Fowler and Will Nash with no outs, and a groundout by Collin Hill advanced the runners to second and third.
Peyton Fogg’s sacrifice fly to right tied the game at 1-1. with Nash advancing to third base.
Freshman Colton Burt, pinch-hitting for Mitchusson, lined a first pitch RBI single to score Nash to put the Patriots in front 2-1 before Chase Worley grounded out to end the inning.
In other quarterfinal games played Friday, St. Joseph held off Sloan-Hendrix 4-3 and Harmony Grove edged Magazine 1-0.
— Fred Conley,
Special to the Democrat-Gazette
Sports on 05/13/2017