West scores six runs in sixth, topples Southside in opener

BENTONVILLE WEST 9, FORT SMITH SOUTHSIDE 4

FORT SMITH — A late outburst carried the Bentonville West Wolverines in an early 6A-West Conference baseball opener Monday.

West scored six runs in the sixth inning on its way to a 9-4 win against Fort Smith Southside in the season opener for both teams.

West (1-0, 1-0) trailed 3-2 before sending 10 batters to the plate in the sixth inning to break open the close game.

“First game, the kids had lot of jitters and a lot of nerves,” West Coach Don Thomas said. “Once they started to relax and knew they could do it, we always believe in ourselves. I always tell them don’t drop your head, the big inning’s always going to come.”

Bryce Suiter singled home Alex Downing and Will Anderson for a 4-3 lead. Laiten Hall’s ground ball scored Cole Edmondson, and leadoff hitter Dalton Murphee delivered the big hit with a base-loaded, three-run double to deep left. Murphee was hitless in his first three at-bats with a weak grounder, a strike out and a pop out.

“I told him every at-bat is a new at-bat,” Thomas said. “I told him to be a hero. Don’t worry about the other at-bats, it’s all about the at-bat coming now. He took advantage it.”

Suiter earned the win in relief of Jake Casey. The 6-6 Suiter struck out nine in three innings of hitless relief.

“He’s a No. 1 or No. 2 guy. He’s working his way back from an injury so we had him on a pitch count,” Thomas said. “When he’s on, he’s hard to hit. Jake and him are our main guys. I feel good about our pitching staff.”

Both teams scored a run in a 28-minute first inning.

Nathan DeFries scored on an error after walking and stealing second base in the top of the first.

Will Hanesworth’s sharp grounder that was booted scored Jackson Pruitt, who led off the bottom of the second with a line-drive single and stolen base.

Peyton Zimmerman put Southside up 2-1, scoring on an error after walking with one out in the third.

The Mavericks (0-1, 0-1) led 3-1 in the fourth inning on a successful double steal by pinch-runner Isaac Gregory and Pruitt with Gregory jarring the ball loose on the throw home.

“I’ve been really proud of these guys,” Southside Coach Scott Johnson said. “They’re fighting hard. That’s all I can ask of them. We have a lot of foot speed on this team. I feel like we can put some pressure on teams if we can put guys on base. We just can’t overcome a six-run inning. We’re not built for that offensively.”

West was within 3-2 in the fifth on a leadoff double by Blayne Elsey and run-scoring single by Hall.

Both teams added a run in the seventh with West scoring on Anderson’s sacrifice fly and Southside plating a run on Kade Wehunt’s single that scored Parker Ellis.

West will host Southside at 5 p.m. Tuesday in the second game of the home-andaway conference series. West will go with lefty DeFries on the mound, while Southside will counter with Peyton Zimmerman.