By Rob Patrick
It was a long day for the Benton McClendon's Senior American Legion team on Sunday. The upstart sixth-seed, playing its fourth game in three days at the Zone 4 Tournament at Bryant High School Field, battled Little Rock Blue for 11 innings before advancing to the losers bracket final against the Texarkana Razorbacks.
And, in their fifth game in three days, Benton just couldn't overcome 11 walks, six errors and the talent of the second-seeded Razorbacks, culled from 11 different school districts in southwest Arkansas and northeast Texas, including players from at least five different colleges.
Texarkana rode an eight-run third to break open a 3-2 game on the way to clinching the second State tournament berth from Zone 4. The Razorbacks play Bryant this evening in the championship round, needing to win twice to capture the tourney title and the league's No. 1 seed to State.[more]
Benton had used a lead-off single by Seth Hobbs and a trio of errors to draw first blood but, in the bottom of the second, Texarkana's Will Wagner tirpled and scored on an errant throw back to the mound by catcher Michael Long. Right-hander Brant Abbott then began struggling with his control, walking five in the inning to force in two more runs.
A solo homer by Blake Childress, the first of his two blasts in the game, trimmed the lead to 3-2 going into the bottom of the third. A walk to Wagner and singles by Michael Nava and Josh Stringfellow set the table. All three scored on a double by Kenny Spencer that drew a misplayed relay. Spencer scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-2.
Colt Galloway walked and, after Heston Besancon relieved for Benton, Gavan McCauley singled, Trevor Rogers walked and Marc McRae was hit by a pitch to force in a run. Two more scored when Wagner's grounder to second was misplayed.
Texarkana added a run in the fourth when Spencer singled, Galloway walked and, with two down, McCauley beat out a bunt hit that drew a wild throw allowing Spencer to score.
In the top of the fifth, Childress unloaded for a second time with Seth Hobbs, aboard on an error, scoring ahead of him.
Nava drove in a run in the fifth and, after Benton added a run in the bottom of the inning, two more scored in the sixth with McCauley picking up an RBI with a sacrifice fly and Wagner adding another with a single.
Nathan Pirl singled in Benton's last run as Benton would not go quietly. In the seventh, Childress was hit by a pitch, drawing some protests from the Benton faithful. Warnings were issued to after Long reached on an error with one out, starter Justin Fielden retired the last two to finish the game.
TEXARKANA 15, BENTON McCLENDON'S 5
Senior American Legion
McClendon's ab r h bi Razorbacks ab r h bi
S.Hobbs, ss 4 2 1 0 McCauley, cf 4 1 2 1
Childress, lf 3 2 2 3 Rogers, lf 2 1 0 1
Brooks, cf 4 0 0 0 McRae, 3b 3 2 0 1
Long, c 3 0 0 0 Underwood, 3b 1 0 0 0
Fulcher, 3b 4 0 0 0 Wagner, 1b 4 1 2 2
Bates, 2b 4 0 3 0 Nava, ss 3 1 2 1
Wilson, rf 2 1 0 0 Stringfellow, 2b 4 0 1 0
R.Hobbs, 1b 3 0 0 0 Spencer, lf 3 3 2 2
Pirl, dh-p 3 0 1 1 Milum, dh 2 1 0 0
Abbott, p 0 0 0 0 Galloway, c 1 2 0 1
Besancon, p 0 0 0 0 Fielden, p 0 0 0 0
Totals 30 5 7 4 Totals 27 12 9 10
Benton 101 021 0 — 5
Texarkana 038 112 x — 15
E—Spencer, Fielden, Nava 2, Long, R.Hobbs, Bates 2, Fulcher, S.Hobbs, Stringfellow. LOB—Benton 6, Texarkana 7. 2B—Spencer, Bates. 3B—Wagner. HR—Childress 2. SB—Nava. S—Wilson. SF—McCauley.
Pitching ip r er h bb so
Benton
Abbott (L) 2.1 8 8 4 7 4
Besancon 2.2 6 1 3 3 0
Pirl 1 1 0 1 1 1
Texarkana
Fielden (W) 7 5 3 7 1 8
HBP—McRae (by Abbott), Childress (by Fielden). WP—Abbott, Pirl.
