Jason Avery
News-Times Staff
EL DORADO - Walks have always brought about great consternation to coaches, and there was no exception to that on Thursday, as Pine Bluff took advantage of eight free passes to top El Dorado 10-4 at the El Dorado/Union County Recreation Complex in a 6A-South contest.
In addition to the walks, the Zebras (15-6, 10-2) banged out 10 hits with Roderick Stinson Jr. going 3-for-4, and they also showed just how dangerous they are on the basepaths by stealing five bases.
But it was the walks that ultimately came back to haunt the Wildcats (7-15, 4-8) and starter Connor Cates, who didn’t survive the third inning.
The Zebras got their leadoff man on in each of the first three innings via walks, and they made the Wildcats pay.
Braylen Jones, who went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, turned a leadoff walk into a run in the first by stealing second and taking third on Brandon Little’s ground out to shortstop before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Kacy Higgins Jr.
Pine Bluff padded their lead in the second courtesy of a bases-loaded walk to Little before breaking the game open in the third.
Jaylon Deshazier drew the third straight leadoff walk to open the frame, and Brandon Lowe followed with a single to left to put runners at the corners.
Malik Isaiah then entered the game as a courtesy runner for the Pine Bluff catcher and stole second to put runners at second and third.
Cates then got Jordan O’Guinn to hit a grounder to shortstop, but it was misplayed for an error, allowing both Deshazier and Isaiah to score.
The Zebras later loaded the bases on a single by Cameron Robertson and a bunt single by Stinson.
Cates retired Xavier Smith on a popup to second, but with Jones batting, the right-hander uncorked a wild pitch that allowed O’Guinn to score.
With runners now at second and third, Jones delivered a two-run single to right to give the Zebras a 7-0 lead, ending Cates’ day on the mound.
“Pine Bluff is a great team, and they did a great job of being disciplined,” said El Dorado coach Sam Tyler. “We need to be a little better in the strike zone.”
Derek Jobe restored order by getting a pair of fly outs sandwiched around a hit batsman to end the third, but the Zebras extended their lead to 9-0 with Smith collecting an RBI on a fielder’s choice as part of a two-run fourth.
Pine Bluff had the opportunity to close out the Wildcats via mercy rule after Jones his second run of the game in the fifth, but the Wildcats didn’t go away quietly, scoring four runs without the aid of a hit in the fifth against Little, who had held the Wildcats scoreless despite allowing four hits through the first four innings.
Evan Chandler led off with a walk, and the Wildcats were in business after a throwing error on a grounder to third off of Rhett Conner’s bat put runners at the corners.
A walk to Micah Haney loaded the bases, but Little got Brennan Smith to hit a grounder to first that makings of being turned into a double play.
But after Chandler was forced out at home, the return throw to first went down the right-field line, and Conner scored to get the Wildcats on the scoreboard.
With runners now at second and third, Little balked home a run, and after a walk to Blake Cunningham reloaded the bases, Daniel Johnson drove in a run by hitting into a force play.
Johnson later scored on a wild pitch, and the Wildcats eventually forced the Zebras to bring in Deshazier, their ace, to halt their momentum.
The right-hander did just that, retiring Cates on a ground out to shortstop on his first pitch with runners at second and third, and the Wildcats had only one baserunner the rest of the way.
“Our guys fought hard and kept competing,” Tyler said. “You have to credit their pitching. I think highly of Pine Bluff, and I think highly of our kids staying competitive and making it where they had to put their No. 1 in to stop it.”
Early on, it looked like the Wildcats were going to have some success against Little.
Conner opened the bottom of the first with a base hit to right.
The Wildcats had the makings of a rally after Haney laced a single to right, but Conner was out after the ball hit his foot on its way to the outfield.
“We had some opportunities early, but we got a bad break,” Tyler said. “It changed the momentum.”
The Wildcats got singles from Cunningham and Leighton Turbeville in the fourth, but with two runners on, Higgins made a good running catch on Cates’ line drive to center to end the inning.
Little picked up the win after allowing four runs and four hits over 4 2/3 innings. He walked five and struck out three.
Deshazier struck out four over 2 1/3 scoreless innings to finish off the Wildcats.
In addition to Stinson, Lowe had two hits for the Zebras.
Cates allowed seven runs and five hits over 2 1/3 innings to take the loss. He walked six and didn’t record a strikeout.
Fordyce 2,
Smackover 1
FORDYCE - Ross Rogers outdueled Beau Burson, as the Redbugs topped the Bucks to claim a share of the 8-3A crown.
Rogers struck out 15 and didn’t walk a batter en route to finishing with a six-hitter for Fordyce, who will be the conference’s No. 1 seed for next week’s regional tournament due to scoring more runs than the Bucks over the course of the conference schedule.
The Bucks (22-5, 9-1), who saw their 14-game winning streak snapped, will be the No. 2 seed and get a rematch with Prescott in the opening round of the regional tournament.
Last spring, the Curley Wolves stunned the Bucks 2-1 to bring a premature end to their season.
Burson turned in a terrific performance, allowing just three hits and two runs with only one being earned. He walked two and struck out six.
The Bucks struck first against Rogers, scoring their lone run in the opening inning.
Keiandre Purifoy led off with a double to left-center, and Burson legged out a dribbler between first and third for an infield single.
However, a throwing error on the play allowed Purifoy to score to make it 1-0.
The Redbugs answered in the third with Rogers belting a solo homer before scoring the go-ahead run in the fourth.
The Bucks had two golden opportunities against Rogers slip through their fingers.
In the fourth, Gage Talley, who had two singles, was cut down at the plate trying to score on a single by Brennan McKnight.
In the seventh, Talley singled and took second on a wild pitch, but Rogers was able to snare a high chopper off of Austin Jones’ bat to spoil the Bucks’ hopes of a comeback.