SPRINGDALE -- Pitchers are ahead of hitters, even in June.
That baseball axiom was apparent Monday when Perfect Timing White beat Perfect Timing Blue 2-0 on opening day of the Perfect Timing Baseball League at the Tyson Complex in Springdale.
Monday's games were the first live sporting events in the state since the covid-19 outbreak in mid-March. The league will play 105 games over the next five weeks in Springdale and Tulsa. The league is comprised of college-age players, including a number of University of Arkansas Razorbacks.
PT White scored the only runs of the game in the second inning, and those were enough against PT Blue, which managed one hit.
Both teams used several pitchers in the seven-inning game.
"This is how I expected it to go," said PT White Coach Matt McCue, who also coaches baseball at Ecclesia College in Springdale. "Their guys' timing was off at the plate. They were all a little late. When you're not on the field for a couple of months, you've got to knock the rust off.
"Getting to come out here and watch a high-level of baseball is a great feeling. This is something we all can use after sitting at home for a couple of months."
Former Springdale Har-Ber standout Blaze Brothers, who helped the Wildcats to a state championship in 2018, scored the first run as PT White jumped in front thanks to an RBI single from Robert Moore, player who was having a breakout season as a true freshman with the Razorbacks before the season was halted.
Brothers got the inning started with a walk and a stolen base.
"I was a little rusty at the beginning, but I'm hoping to get back into it," said Brothers, who will play baseball next season at Northeastern State in Tahlequah, Okla. "It was fun to be out here."
The only threat for PT Blue came after two were out in the seventh and final inning. An error at first base was followed by a hit batter and a walk before Jacob Burton had a strikeout to end the game.
"He got the first two guys out then a couple of things didn't go his way," McCue said. "But he's a competitor and he's a winner. He got out of the inning when he needed to."
In other games Monday:
PT Cardinal 7, PT Red 2
Arkansas Razorback Matt Goodheart drove in a pair of runs, and four pitchers combined to scatter four hits for Perfect Timing Cardinal.
Cardinal (1-0) scored four runs in the top of the fifth inning and added two insurance runs in the sixth.
Connor McCoulough and Ryan Stovall combined to go five innings for Cardinal. McCoulough allowed one hit and struck out three. The Cardinal pitchers combined for nine strikeouts and allowed one earned run.
Goodheart was 2-for-3, and Michael Rankin added a double for Cardinal.
Joe Brown was 2-for-2 with an RBI for Red.
Jordan Wicks got the start for Red, allowing 1 hit over 2 2/3 innings with 6 strikeouts.. Levi Bennett relieved and gave up 5 earned runs over 2 innings and walked 7 to take the loss. Grant Jones and Jacob Williams also saw mound time for Red.
Sandlot Black 10-2, Sandlot White 2-1
Sandlot Black (Tulsa) swept a doubleheader to open their season.
Seth Collingsworth, Brett Erickson and Blake Shannon belted doubles for Black in the opener, and Erickson drove in three runs.
Sam Replogle went four innings to earn the victory, allowing just one hit.
Charlie Acuff allowed four hits over four innings and suffered the loss.
Black scored two runs in the fifth inning to hold on for the victory in the second game.
Boone Lassater blasted a two-run homer to provide Black all of their runs.
Jack Jones drove in White's only run and Nick Allison added a double.
Sports on 06/02/2020