ROGERS -- Rogers High coach Matt Melson was looking for anything to change the Mounties' recent offensive struggles in the midst of a four-game losing streak.
Rogers' issues looked as though they would continue when Bentonville West scored four times in the top of the first inning on Tuesday afternoon, but the Mounties had an answer.
Rogers (7-7, 3-3 6A-West) exploded for a seven-run bottom of the second en route to a 13-4 victory at Veterans Park.
The Mounties had scored just one run in 28 innings during their four-game skid, but junior Will Lawing got them going with a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the first. Then they sent 11 batters to the plate in the second inning to take command.
Tanner Strickland and Jake Plumley drove in two runs apiece in the big inning.
Plumley and Lawing were seeing their first varsity action of the season and came through to help the offense break out, Melson said. They combined for three hits and five RBIs.
"We changed some things around and I thought those guys gave us a spark," Melson said. "Will Lawing had a big hit and so did Jake Plumley. We love our guys, but sometimes you've got to mix it up and try something different.
"Man, it was good to see the bats kinda come alive."
Shortstop Sal Jacobo went 4-for-5, scored a run and also drove in one. Tanner Strickland and Lawing added two hits each, while Plumley and Strickland drove in two runs each.
That big inning was exactly what Rogers starter Matthew Watson needed to settle down after a rough first inning. He gave up no runs on just two hits over the final six innings.
West (9-7, 4-2) loaded the bases in the first inning without a hit as Watson walked the lead-off man and hit consecutive batters. The Wolverines got RBI-singles from Zach Trammell and John McElroy and a sacrifice fly from Seth Schonauer to grab a 4-0 lead.
Trammell finished with two of West's four hits.
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Carter, Bourg (2), Arnold (2), Mayes (5) and Trammell; M. Watson and Lawing. W-Watson. L-Bourg. HRs-None.
Bentonville High 19, Rogers Heritage 3
Karson Coffee and Payton Allen had three hits each and combined for eight RBIs to propel the Tigers to the easy win.
Bentonville, which lost to Heritage 4-3 on Monday, jumped a 7-2 lead after two innings and took control with a seven-run top of the third. The Tigers are now again alone atop the 6A-West, after Fayetteville and Bentonville West lost.
The Tigers (12-4, 5-1 6A-West) banged out 19 hits in the five-inning win. Coffee went 3-for-4, including a double and a home run and drove in five runs. Cade Appleman Keaton Cloyd and Sam Golden added two hits each. Cloyd drove in three runs, while Golden and Payton Summers drove in two runs each.
Ryan Carlson singled and drove in two runs for Heritage (5-10, 2-4).
Van Buren 10, Fayetteville 2
Landry Wilkerson went 2-for-3 and drove in three runs to help the Pointers earn their first 6A-West Conference win of the season.
Van Buren led only 3-2 going into the bottom of the fourth inning, but the Pointers responded with four runs to expand the lead and added three more in the sixth.
Trevor Johnson added two hits and Tanner Callahan drove in two runs for Van Buren. (8-8, 1-5) Matthew Magre had two hits and Luke Davenport drove in two runs for Fayetteville (10-5, 4-2).
Springdale Har-Ber 3, Springdale High 2
Landon McAlister and Charlie Acuff combined on a three-hitter, and the Wildcats defeated their crosstown rivals for the second straight day by one run.
Springdale grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first, but Har-Ber answered in the second on Acuff's RBI triple.
Har-Ber led 3-2 before Springdale closed the gap in the sixth when Will Mueller reached on an error and later scored on a ground out.
Hunter Wood was 2-for-3 to lead the Wildcats (14-3, 4-2) at the plate.
Dylan Rollins went the distance for Springdale (6-12, 1-5) to take the loss with six strikeouts.
Sports on 04/03/2019