Smeltzer drives in two runs to give Panthers the win over Beavers in extra innings
The Glen Rose Beavers led the majority of Wednesday’s baseball game against the Magnet Cove Panthers, but by the sixth inning the Panthers had found their stride and started to make a comeback.
The Panthers were able to tie the game in the sixth inning and after both teams failed to score in the seventh, forced extra innings. It was the Beavers’ Ty Hood who scored first in the top of the eighth inning to break the tie and give the Beavers a onerun lead. From there it was the Panthers who would control their destiny.
After securing two more outs, the Panthers went on the offensive and were able to load the bases as Lucas Smeltzer went up to bat. Smeltzer was able to get under the ball and fly it to the outfield that led to Julius McClellan and Landon Stone crossing home plate. The two RBIs were enough to give the Panthers the win over their county rival 6-5.
For the first four innings, it was the Beavers who controlled the game as they went up 4-1. The Beavers got things going in the first inning by scoring one run to take the early lead. The second inning fell scoreless, but the Beavers added two more runs in the third inning, with Logan Greeno and Colton Hixon.
The Panthers were able to get on the board in the bottom of the third inning when L. Stone scored off an RBI by Luke Harper, but the Beavers still held the momentum. In the top of the fourth the Beavers scored their fourth run after an error by the Panthers’ catcher that allowed Heath Ballance to cross home plate.
The Panthers went scoreless in the bottom of the fourth, but the momentum started to shift as the game went into the fifth inning. The Panthers only allowed one hit in the fifth inning and held the Beavers scoreless. In the bottom of the inning, L. Stone scored his second run after another big hit and RBI from Harper.
Trailing 4-2 the momentum really started to shift to the Panthers after they held the Beavers to just three batters in the top of the sixth. The Panthers overcame two early outs to start the bottom of the sixth and drove in two runs with Corey Martin and Matt Stone to tie the game at 4-4.
The seventh inning was a defensive battle between the two teams as both fought for the win. The seventh inning fell scoreless though as neither team could get to home plate and an extra eighth inning was forced.
The Beavers were primed to take an even bigger lead in the eighth inning, other than their one run from Hood, but the defense of the Panthers stood strong. Early in the inning Glen Rose’s Carson Dhane was tagged out at home plate trying to score. Glen Rose’s Rein Bland bunted to get Hood across home plate, but was tagged out at second base for the second out. The third out was a strikeout from Ballance.
Once again the Panthers had to come from behind as they trailed the Beavers 5-4 in the bottom of the eighth. Their first out was a strikeout from M. Stone to start the inning. The Beavers then walked McClellan and missed a catch at first base that put L. Stone on base. Harper was then walked to load the bases for Smeltzer. Smeltzer was then able to smack the ball to the outfield and get the two runs necessary to win the game.
For the game the Beavers ended the night with five runs on seven hits and had no errors. The Panthers had six runs on 14 hits and three errors.
The win puts the Panthers at 1-1 to start the season. The Panthers lost their opener to Nashville Monday, 16-0. For the Beavers, the loss puts them at 0-1 to start the season. The Panthers are back in action tonight against St. Joseph out of Conway. Game time is set for 4:30 p.m. in Conway. The Beavers will take the field again Monday in the FCA Tournament held at Bauxite.