Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
HR spurs Bentonville’s bats to big day
BENTONVILLE 10, FORT SMITH SOUTHSIDE 2
BENTONVILLE — The spacious dimensions at the Tiger Athletic Complex often mean home runs are a rarity unless the wind blows out.
That made Payton Allen’s leadoff blast a thing of beauty Monday afternoon, and it also set the tone for Bentonville’s bats as the Tigers pounded their way to a 10-2 victory over Fort Smith Southside in the opening game of their 6A-West Conference series.
Bentonville (7-2, 3-2 6A-West) finished with 11 hits, one of its better hitting performances of the season, and each of its first eight batters had at least one hit. While Kieper Pate, the Tigers’ ninth hitter, didn’t get a hit, he also contributed as he drew three walks and scored a run.
“That home run was a great way to start the game,” Bentonville coach Todd Abbott said. “One through nine, it was quality at-bat after quality at-bat, and I’m really proud. They had a good approach, we put some good bats on the ball and we’re able to score the runs.”
Allen swung at the third pitch from Kent Carlisle and belted a towering shot over the left-field fence, but Southside (5-5, 1-4) had an answer for that early run an inning later. David Sorg ripped a leadoff double to right and scored on a two-out single by Jake Forsgren to tie the game.
Bentonville, however, responded with nine runs over the next three innings for a 10-1 lead. Allen struck again in the third with an RBI double down the left-field line in the second, and Ty Riley — who scored the go-ahead run in the second when he singled and later scored from second on a passed ball — had a two-run double as part of the Tigers’ five-run fourth.
“They just kept on hitting,” Southside coach Dale Harpenau said of Bentonville.
“Up and down their lineup, from one through nine, they were good offensively. They set the tone early when the first batter hits a home run, and they didn’t stop from there.
“It wasn’t that we weren’t making plays. They just hit the ball hard, and we had trouble finishing. Even with two strikes, they did a good job of putting the ball in play.”
The offensive explosion made things easier for Bentonville starter Luke Stamps, who threw a complete game and allowed two runs on six hits while striking out 10 in a 97-pitch outing. Payton Gorman, the Tigers’ second hitter, joined Allen and Riley with two hits and scored a run.
The two teams will complete their two-game series this afternoon in Fort Smith.