El Dorado upends Panthers

If there has been one certainty for El Dorado thus far in the postseason, it’s been their penchant for dramatic comebacks.

After clinching a spot in the state tournament by overcoming a four-run deficit to beat Russellville last weekend, the Wildcats repeated the feat, overcoming a 6-2 deficit to top Benton 7-6 in eight innings Saturday on Jacob Boshears’ walk-off single in the 6A West Conference Tournament at the El Dorado-Union County Recreation Complex.

The Wildcats (20-8) will be seeded third for next week’s state tournament and play either West Memphis or Jacksonville at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday at Greenwood.

“I’m excited,” said El Dorado coach Cannon Lester. “I thought we took a tough one last Tuesday in Greenwood, and we came back and responded. I thought we battled everywhere.”

Down 6-2, the Wildcats scored two in the fifth and sixth innings to tie the game before surviving Benton rallies in the seventh and eighth innings to win it in the bottom of the eighth.

Jared Rhodes led off the bottom of the eighth by reaching on an error after his grounder to shortstop was bobbled.

Daniel Johnson then laid a bunt down that Benton pitcher Caleb Muns fielded, but his throw to second to nab courtesy runner Reed Stone pulled shortstop Drew Chilton off the bag, and the Wildcats had runners at first and second.

Leighton Turbeville followed with a perfectly-placed bunt to the left side of the pitcher’s mound for a single to load the bases.

That set the stage for

Boshears, who won it after drilling a fly ball to the gap in right-center for a walk-off single to give the Wildcats their second come-from-behind win of the tournament.

El Dorado began their comeback in the fifth against Muns, who took over after starter Yates Prickett allowed two runs in four innings.

Noah Gaul greeted the right-hander by lining a double to left-center.

One out later, Brennan Smith reached after his grounder to second was misplayed for an error to put runners at the corners.

Chase Webb drove in Gaul with a sacrifice fly, and the Wildcats pulled a run closer thanks to Smith’s baserunning.

With Derek Jobe at the plate, Smith stole second, took third on a wild pitch and scored when the throw skipped off the top of the third baseman’s glove and went down the left-field line for an error.

The Wildcats then tied the game with a two-out rally in the sixth.

Turbeville drew a walk, and Boshears followed with a bloop single to center to put runners at the corners.

Gaul then hit a fly ball to deep left-center that looked like it was going to be caught near the fence, but the center fielder lost the ball in the sun at the last instant, and the ball fell safely for a tworun double to tie the game at 6-all.

But before the heroics in the eighth, Daniel Johnson worked out of two jams to keep the Wildcats’ comeback hopes alive.

In the seventh, Johnson inherited a two-on, two-out jam after Jobe, El Dorado’s starter, departed after reaching his pitch count limit.

A senior, Johnson fanned Wes Gevrra to get out of trouble.

In the eighth, Johnson hit Caleb Easterling with a pitch to start the inning, and he advanced to second on Muns’ sacrifice bunt.

Johnson then retired Peyton Pallette on a popup to second for the inning’s second out.

With Logan Easterling at the plate, Caleb Easterling advanced to third on a wild pitch.

However, Johnson got out of trouble thanks to a great defensive play.

Boshears, who went to third base after

Johnson went to the mound, made a great catch in front of El Dorado’s dugout on Logan Easterling’s popup in foul ground to end the inning, setting up the junior’s aforementioned heroics in the bottom of the eighth.

Johnson hit a batter and struck out one over 1 2/3 scoreless innings to pick up the win.

After losing their final two games of the regular season, the Wildcats won two of their three games in the conference tournament, and Lester believes that momentum will help as they prepare for the state tournament.

“I think there’s no doubt about it,” Lester said. “If you saw the way we played at the beginning of the year and the way we’ve played here at the end, there’s no doubt we’re going to ride this. Getting the three seed was big with the way we’re set up for the state tournament. I’m really excited. It’s definitely good to get a win, and now we’re going to get ready to go.”

It was a pitcher’s duel early on with Jobe and Prickett matching zeroes.

El Dorado drew first blood in the first with Gaul, Micah Haney and Smith stringing three straight singles together with two outs with Smith collecting an RBI.

The Wildcats stayed ahead thanks to Jobe, who retired eight of the first nine batters he faced before running into trouble in the fourth and fifth innings when the Panthers scored three runs in each frame.

Jared Kelley had an RBI double and Caleb Easterling drove in a run with a bloop single in the fourth.

Rhodes brought the Wildcats a run closer with an RBI double in the bottom of the fourth to make it 3-2, but Beau Brewer, who went 3-for-4, had a two-run triple and later scored on a wild pitch in the fifth to extend Benton’s lead to 6-2.

After the rocky fourth and fifth innings, Jobe bounded back and worked a scoreless sixth before giving way to Johnson with two outs in the seventh.

Jobe allowed nine hits and six runs over 6 2/3 innings. He walked two, hit a batter and struck out seven.

“I thought Jobe battled on the mound,” Lester said. “They got a few breaks there and a few balls dropped, then all of a sudden, it was out turn there late.”

Gaul went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored, while Boshears went 2-for-5 for the Wildcats, who had 10 hits in the win.