Panthers edge Gravette for first win of season
■ Spencer Stephenson got the win in relief.
GRAVETTE — Siloam Springs made its share of mistakes Friday, but the Panthers did enough good things in the end to earn their first win of the season.
The Panthers batted out of order, blew two bases loaded opportunities with less than two outs and had multiple base-running mistakes.
On the flip side the Panthers also got out of a bases loaded jam in the sixth and another problematic situation in the seventh to hold on for a 3-2 victory over Gravette.
“That’s baseball, and that’s good baseball,” Gravette baseball coach Bryan Bearden.
“You’ve got teammates picking up teammates and pitchers picking up fielders, fielders picking up pitchers. Both teams did a great job up and down the lineup.”
Siloam Springs junior left-hander Spencer Stephenson (1-0) pitched three scoreless innings of relief of starter Andrew Pilcher.
Stephenson came into the game with the scored tied 2-2 and pitched a 1-2-3 fifth inning.
The Panthers plated a run to go up 3-2 in the sixth when Landen Fain was hit by a pitch and came around to score on a single by Nick Driscoll and error by the Gravette outfield.
Stephenson worked around an error, infield hit and hit batter in the sixth to keep the game 3-2.
Stephenson got the first two outs in the seventh before Gravette got two runners on with an error and walk. He forced a popup out of Isaiah Larson to end the game. Stephenson finished with four strikeouts and one hit allowed in three innings.
“I tell you he pitched good,” Siloam Springs coach Alan Hardcastle said of Stephenson. “He threw well on Monday and he came back today and threw strikes and got the crucial out when we needed it at the end.”
Gravette scored the game’s first two runs in the bottom of the third.
Ryder Brown walked and moved to second on a wild pitch. He advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Rhett Hilger and scored on an RBI base hit by Gunnar Woolard. Woolard then scored on an RBI double by Justin Trucks to put the Lions up 2-0.
Siloam Springs answered with two runs in the fourth.
Christian Ledeker and JP Wills both singled to open the inning. Pilcher drove in a run with an RBI single, and courtesy runner Bode Butler scored on an error to tie the game.
The Panthers had chances to blow the game open, loading the bases in the fifth only for Gravette starter Brown to escape the damage unscathed.
“It’s nice when you run a senior out there,” Bearden said.
“A senior that’s been there and done that, and Ryder’s a senior and he’s been there and done that, and he proved that tonight that he can bow his neck and get people out.”
Siloam Springs loaded the bases in the seventh as well, chasing Brown from the mound. Larson got one out, and Holden Betz got the final two outs to get out of the inning.
“They made plays,” Hardcastle said of Gravette. “We had (middle of the lineup) up and they struck out. We had a guy that just didn’t step up.”
Pilcher had five strikeouts and four walks in four innings in his first appearance of the season.
“He’s one that could have gone another inning, but we were on a pitch count,” Hardcastle said. “We’re looking forward to conference and building up arms right now. He’s going to be fine.
He’s going to be a good one.”
The Panthers (1-2) play at Gentry on Tuesday.
Springdale Har-Ber 6, Siloam Springs 2
Har-Ber scored a pair of runs in the first, fourth and sixth innings to pull away for a nonconference victory on Thursday.
Siloam Springs finished with seven hits, led by two hits from both JP Wills and Lucas Junkermann and one hit each from Christian Ledeker, Jacob Gilbert and Ryder Winfrey.
Winfrey had an RBI, while Ledeker and Jackson Doornbos scored runs.
Gilbert took the loss on the mound, pitching 3 2/3 innings with five strikeouts, three walks and two earned runs allowed.
Winfrey, Nick Driscoll and Junkermann also pitched for the Panthers.