Gilreath makes Pointers’ move pay off

ALMA — Anticipating a delay, interruption or postponement because of the weather, Van Buren coach Luke Weatherford had Eli Gilreath ready to go in the opening game of the 5A-West doubleheader against Alma.

Gilreath delivered on Tuesday, a day after a postponement, winning a pitcher’s duel between senior hurlers and beating Crawford County rival Alma, 4-1.

The two teams had completed their warmups on Monday when a tornado warning was issued for Crawford County, which sent both teams to the school storm shelter. The games were soon pushed back to Tuesday with the possibility of more rain the area, which could have pushed the games further back into Friday.

Gilreath warmed up on Monday, and then again on Tuesday to take the mound in the opener.

“He’s been going game two,” Weatherford said. “We decided to throw him game one with the weather. I was worried the weather would come in possibly. We were going to start him game one on Monday. If the weather came in and interrupted a game, he bounces back quicker. If we get interrupted, and have to come back and finish it and play two on Friday, he bounces back quicker.”

Gilreath went the distance on Tuesday with an eight-inning complete-game performance, scattering five hits and allowing just an unearned run in the third inning.

“It’s definitely different pitching game one rather than game two,” Gilreath said. “Usually, I don’t get to warm up as much. It was different.”

Gilreath also was locked in a pitcher’s duel with Alma ace and senior Logan Taylor.

Taylor yielded just an unearned run in the first inning before Gilreath rifled a double down the line in left that scored Malachi Henry, who led off the eighth by being hit by a pitch and stealing second. Gilreath was the final batter for Taylor, who reached his pitch count during the at-bat.

Van Buren (15-4, 6-1) added two more runs with Jackson Rotert driving in his second run of the game that scored courtesy runner Uriah Henson with a sacrifice fly, and Breckin Waters’ single scoring Caleb Adams, who was pinch running for Hayden Hurst, who had walked.

Alma (6-14, 2-5) threatened in the bottom of the eighth by loading the bases with one out against Gilreath, who was nearing his pitch count limit. That prompted a visit to the mound by Weatherford.

“I just wanted to make him aware of the pitch count,” Weatherford said. “He was at 106, and I told him this could be his last batter. I mentioned jokingly that if he popped the first pitch up and gets him out, he’ll get to throw to the last guy. I just wanted him to know where he was at, give him a breather and take a deep breath.”

Gilreath did get a foul pop out on the next pitch and a grounder two pitches later to finish the victory with 109 pitches.

Gilreath struck out eight. “Fastball was really working,” Gilreath said. “I was sitting on that outside corner and getting them off queue with a little breaking ball and throwing a changeup here and there.”

Both teams had a few other opportunities to score runs, especially Alma, which had a runner cut down at the plate in the fourth inning and stranded Derek Hatcher at second after a leadoff double in the bottom of the sixth.

“We let the little things beat us,” Alma coach Brian Fry said. “That’s what got us. We didn’t run the bases well. Offensively, when you get runners in scoring position with less than two outs, you’ve got to score. It’s frustrating.”

Hatcher walked to lead off the fourth and took third on a throwing error on Camden Curd’s bunt, who advanced to second on the play. Van Buren second baseman Devin Gattis cut down Hatcher at the plate with the infield drawn in, and Gilreath coaxed a liner and a grounder to escape any damage.

Van Buren also had opportunities in the third and fourth innings before Taylor retired 11 straight until extra innings.

“That was a great game,” Weatherford said. “Both pitchers did a great job. For the most part, both teams played clean. It was a good conference game where we got out there and competed. We were fortunate to score in the eighth and come out with the win.”

Alma travels to Booneville on Thursday for a nonconference game before hosting Greenbrier for a conference twinbill on April 19.

Van Buren travels to Fayetteville on Thursday for a nonconference game and returns home on April 19 for a conference doubleheader against Vilonia.