Grand slam eclipses expectations
PRAIRIE GROVE — Pea Ridge junior Jaxon Stewart wasn’t trying for a moon shot, just a base hit to drive some runs in when his grand slam eclipsed his own expectations.
Stewart went yard with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning during the Blackhawks’ 11-5 conference win in 4A-1 baseball action at Prairie Grove Friday delivering a sort of blackout three days ahead of Monday’s solar eclipse. Stewart finished one for two, blasting a grand slam home run with four RBIs, two runs scored, two walks and getting hit by a pitch.
The Tigers led 1-0 after four innings, but that vanished quickly once the Blackhawks found their stride in the batting box. Pea Ridge took the lead with 4 runs in the fifth, then Jake Ryals (2 for 5, 3 RBIs, run scored) belted a 2-run double in the sixth before Stewart’s grand slam punctuated the Blackhawks’ 5-run explosion in the seventh inning.
“As a coach you’re never at ease, but whenever it went over the fence I was able to relax just a little bit and I think we could feel the energy, too ,” said Pea Ridge coach Matt Easterling. “That was a big boost for (starting pitcher) Landen Long whenever he came back out and the rest of the guys. They knew that the game was under control.”
Stewart squared up in the batter’s box and smashed his grand slam home run on a 2-2 pitch, which gave the Blackhawks a commanding 10-2 lead. Pea Ridge added one more run on a passed ball and owned an 11-2 lead going into Prairie Grove’s final at-bat.
“Two strikes, I wasn’t looking for anything, just bat a couple of guys in, but I happened to get a good bat on it and it flies out,” Stewart said.
He realized when he connected the ball was well hit. The best part, however, came when his coaches and teammates shouted as the ball went over the fence.
“I knew it had a chance. It was a good line drive. I wasn’t ready for it at first, but then I definitely knew it was gone halfway down the line,” Stewart said.
Stewart’s not had that many grand slams in his career. He can count them on one hand and says this is a memory that will stick with him.
“Coming against Prairie Grove, it makes it way better,” Stewart said.
Stewart’s been on a hot streak as of late. He was one for one with a home run, two RBIs with three runs scored the day before in a 13-8 nonconference win against Jay, Okla., while drawing two walks and twice getting hit by a pitch.
That and Friday’s victory went a long ways in helping restore the Blackhawks’ mojo after a disappointing, 11-3, loss to Huntsville on Tuesday, April 2.
“It feels great because in this conference everybody beats everybody so it’s great to have a couple of wins here,” Stewart said.
Pea Ridge has experienced an up and down baseball season. The Blackhawks started 7-4 in nonconference games. A 16-10 loss to Gravette on March 23 didn’t affect the league standings because it was in the finals of the Jarren Sorters Memorial Tournament hosted by Greenland.
Pea Ridge dropped its conference-opener at home, 10-2, to Farmington on Tuesday, March 26, then rebounded to knock off perennial league power Shiloh Christian, 5-3, on Thursday, March 28, which evened its league record at 1-1. The Blackhawks scored four runs in the second inning to take the lead, then held off the Saints on their home field in Springdale. Waylon Fletcher (two for three, walk) had a pair of hits and scored twice while Ryals went two for four and drove in a run.
“We told ourselves, ‘we’re a good team.’ Our first (conference) game against Farmington we came out and we weren’t ready for that game and Farmington was. They put it to us pretty good,” Easterling said. “So we started off bad but got back into it with Shiloh, and then Huntsville came out and put together four errors.”
Thursday’s 11-3 setback to the Eagles put Pea Ridge a game below .500 in the 4A-1 baseball standings at 1-2. Friday’s win improved the Blackhawks to 10-6 overall and 2-2 in conference, but Easterling wants more consistency.
“In our league, I feel like everybody is good and you can tell that by everybody was either 2-1 or 1-2 or whatever (coming into Friday), so we know that we’re right there, but we got to put together complete games and that’s one of the things that we’ve been struggling with,” Easterling said.
Landen Long earned Friday’s win, allowing tw0 runs on five hits with eight strikeouts and no walks in 6.1 innings a week after dealing against Shiloh Christian when he went the distance, matching four walks with four strikeouts and allowing three runs on five hits.
“Landen, his last two outings, he’s been on. He pitched a complete game against Shiloh and got the win there, and got a week off and was able to come back,” Easterling said. “Right now he’s in a good groove and I’m glad he is because that was a big win. Prairie Grove’s a good team.”