Panthers roll over El Dorado

In racing out to a 5-0 start in the 6A-South, comebacks have become something of a specialty for El Dorado.

But on Friday, El Dorado’s bats were silenced by Benton’s Drew Harris, who fired a two-hitter to lead the Panthers to a 6-1 win over the Wildcats in a battle of league unbeatens.

Harris, who signed with Ouachita Baptist to play football after leading the Panthers to the 6A state finals, showed his talents on the baseball diamond aren’t too bad either.

A senior, Harris walked one, struck out seven, and did not allow a hit after the first inning. He also didn’t allow any baserunners after the third, retiring the last 13 batters of the game to finish off El Dorado (5-7, 5-1).

Leadoff baserunners and a pair of two-strike hits ultimately did in El Dorado starter Grant Garrison, who allowed seven hits and six runs over 4 1/3 innings. He hit two batters, walked three and struck out four.

Drew Dyer was Garrison’s chief tormentor, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs, including a two-run single on an 0-2 pitch that broke a 1-1 tie in third.

The Panthers (13-2, 5-0) also had their leadoff man reach safely in the second through fifth innings thanks to a hit batsman and three walks. Only in the fourth did Garrison emerge unscathed, but despite the baserunners, the senior was able to keep damage to a minimum until the fifth when three straight hits ended his stay on the mound.

“He pitched good enough to win,” said El Dorado coach Sam Tyler of Garrison. “You’re not going to win many games scoring one run, so I’m very satisfied with Grant’s solid performance. He’s only going to get better, and that was good for him too. He was