Koonce’s dash turns into winner for Sheridan

CONWAY — Devin Koonce made a break for third base. He wound up at home with the game-winner.

Koonce scored on a throwing error in the bottom of the seventh inning Sunday night to allow Sheridan McCoy-Tygart to take a 1-0 victory over Fort Smith Sportsmen in the winners bracket finals of the American Legion Senior State Tournament at Hendrix College.

Koonce’s daring dash brought a sudden end to a pitchers duel between Sheridan’s Tyler Cleveland and Fort Smith lefty Cash Balentine. The teams had combined for 10 hits before Koonce trotted home after catcher Jake Smith’s throw carried into left field.

“I saw the catcher throw his helmet down and I was

like, ‘Yeah, that’s game,’ ” Koonce said. “I was happy.”

Sheridan will play in Tuesday’s championship game. Fort Smith will play tonight and awaits the survivor of the Little Rock Vipers and Bryant Blacksox.

Koonce, who had struck out and grounded out to second in his two previous at-bats against Balentine, led off the seventh inning and fell behind in the count. However, the third baseman from White Hall High School worked the count full before lining a double to the leftfield corner.

“Devin worked the count, fouled off a couple of pitches and got the big hit for us,” Sheridan Manager Mike Moore said. “He’s struggled a little bit lately, but he’s starting to come out of it. That was a big one for us today that’s for sure.”

With the count 2-2 on Austin Wright who was batting against reliever Ben Klutts, Koonce took off for third. The move caught the Sportsmen by surprise.

“That runner, it never entered my mind that he would be stealing,” Fort Smith Manager Trey Prieur said. “They put pressure on us. I don’t know if we weren’t prepared for it but it did catch us off guard. Smith made a good throw but our shortstop [Brock Thibodeaux] couldn’t handle it. It was a tough play for [Thibodeaux].”

Both Balentine and Cleveland threw winning efforts. Balentine allowed 6 hits, struck out 6 and walked 2. Cleveland, who has signed with the University of Central Arkansas, gave up 4 hits, struck out 4 and issued 1 intentional walk.

“He fought his heart out,” Koonce said of Cleveland. “He threw a great game, one of the best games I’ve ever seen pitched.”

“Tyler looked like his old self today,” Moore said. “I’ll attribute that to the fact that he’s already working with his college coaches. … Those guys have him squared away.”

“I thought it would be a one- or two-run game,” Prieur said. “Cleveland is great pitcher and we knew it would be a tall order for us, but we knew with Cash on the mound that we’d have a chance.”

Haydn Finley went 3 for 3 for Sheridan. Mac Moody singled and doubled for the Sportsmen while Thibodeaux singled twice.