Scouts get look at Burton

SPRINGDALE — Jacob Burton is accustomed to what he saw when he went to the mound Monday evening.

When the University of Arkansas pitcher from Diana, Texas, entered the game to start the sixth inning of Perfect Timing White’s 8-4 victory over Perfect Timing Grey, out came the radar guns and the notepads. A trio of scouts, including one from the Atlanta Braves, made it to Tyson Park to see Burton perform.

“It happened in high school a little bit,” Burton said. “And at Arkansas, it gets you ready for it, but I try not to think about it. I just focus on my game.”

The right-hander did well in his fourth appearance, pitching one inning and allowing just a walk.

“It felt good out there,” Burton said. “Obviously, I’m not too happy with that walk out there. I thought I made good pitches, and I was just missing really small. Other than that, everything felt pretty good to me. The slider was looking good out there.

“Things have gone well. I had the one inning that I wasn’t too happy with, but with everything else, I’ve been pleased. The fastball works for me a lot, and at Arkansas, I sometimes struggle with it when I stick to it. If I mix in a good slider here and there, everything works pretty well.”

Golden opportunities

Sam Golden, who didn’t play the opening week of the Perfect

Timing Collegiate League, used just one game to become PT Red’s leader in RBI last week.

The Bentonville standout and Central Missouri signee added to his lead during the first inning Monday against PT Cardinal. His one-out single drove in Cameron Thompson, who walked and stole second before he took third on a throwing error.

Golden now has five RBI in just five games, while six PT Red teammates are tied for second with three apiece. Golden also has 5 hits in 11 at-bats for a .455 batting average, and those hits include a double and a solo home run.

Another no-decision

For the second straight game, PT Red pitcher Jordan Wicks has performed well enough to win, but he doesn’t have a victory to show for it.

The left-hander from Conway threw another solid four-inning performance and left Monday’s game with a 1-0 lead over PT Cardinal. Wicks, however, settled for another no-decision as PT Cardinal scored two runs in the seventh and briefly took the lead.

Wicks, a sophomore at Kansas State, had 43 strikes out of the 69 pitches he threw. He allowed just two hits and gave up two walks while he struck out four batters.

Who’s wearing what?

Anybody who isn’t familiar with the PT Collegiate League teams and players this summer might have been a little confused by the uniforms the teams were wearing Monday.

PT Red players wore blue jerseys with gray pants during their game, while PT Cardinal players were decked out in all-white uniforms with blue trim. On the Ecclesia College field, PT Grey players were wearing red shirts with gray pants, while PT White wore the all-white uniforms.