Crafton helps Heritage stay unbeaten
ROGERS — Bennett Crafton’s first at-bat ended when his foul ball was blown back into play by the wind, and it eventually was caught for an out.
Rogers Heritage’s leadoff hitter then made the wind his ally Tuesday afternoon as he wound up a triple short of the cycle and drove in three runs to keep the War Eagles unbeaten with a 10-1 victory over Bentonville West during 6A-West Conference action at War Eagle Field.
Crafton hit a double off West starter Jake Casey that ignited a five-run third inning, then he added a solo home run in the fourth and two-run single in the fifth to complete the scoring for Heritage
(15-0, 7-0).
“Jake is a good pitcher,” Crafton said. “His ball was rising, and I was under it the first at-bat. [Heritage Coach Brian Walker] told us to be above it, so I was going to be above it, no matter what.
“I thank Coach Walker and [Coach Blake Baxendale] for that. It’s mostly them. They give so much to the team, and I’m really thankful for them.”
The War Eagles went hitless the first time through their batting order against Casey and trailed 1-0 to start the bottom of the third, but they came alive the second time around. Crafton belted a one-out double to the right-field wall, then a hit batter and Spencer Mounce’s single loaded the bases. Brett Renfrow then drew a walk to score Crafton for the tying run.
Jack Hamm then delivered a go-ahead, two-run single while a West throwing error allowed a third run to score. Joseph Martinez then lined a double down the right-field line to score Hamm and make it a 5-1 game.
“Jake [Casey] does a good job,” Walker said. “He’s a competitor, and he’s a quarterback. I’ve watched him since he was a little kid. He’s competitive, and I told the boys he’s going to compete and he’s got good stuff.
“The first time through the order, he shoved it pretty good. We weren’t on time — we were between the fastball and the breaking ball. The second time through, he’s got some carry and we talked about being above the ball. I told them we needed to be above the ball because the wind was carrying, and we put some good bats together.”
Crafton made it 6-1 with his home run over the right-field fence. Heritage then completed its scoring in the fifth when Martinez and Danny Ralpho hit RBI singles and eventually chased Casey. Crafton then greeted reliever Caydon Clemmons with a solid single to right and drove in the War Eagles’ final two runs.
That was more than enough offense for Heritage starter Parker Morris, who was pressed into service because of injuries on Heritage’s pitching staff. The left-hander allowed an unearned run over 2 hits and struck out 8 while walking 6, then Hamm threw a hitless seventh.
“Parker has shown early that he has to find it,” Walker said. “Once he finds it, he gets stronger later. That’s the luxury of having the arms we have. We have some injuries, and Parker stepped along with Cade Miller, who will start [tonight]. Once Parker settles in and finds that zone, he can overpower lineups.”