Razorbacks outlast weather, Fort Smith
CONWAY, Ark.—The first weather delay—lasting 3:16—had no ill effect on the Red River Credit Union/TABA Texarkana Razorbacks on Sunday.
The Hogs came back from the long break with Kaden Tollett on the mound and rattled off seven unanswered runs against Fort Smith to collect a 7-2 victory in the winner’s bracket semifinal at the University of Central Arkansas.
Tollett pitched seven innings of 5-hit ball, striking out eight, walking two and hitting one for the pitching win. He threw 104 pitches in relief.
Tanner Vaught left after two innings of work. He fanned three, issued three free passes and two runs on four hits.
The Sportsmen held Texarkana (31-8) to just four hits, but committed four errors and walked six.
“We talked during the (first) weather delay that we couldn’t worry about that they had got two runs,” Texarkana head coach Dane Peavy said. “We had to focus on the things we could control, which was getting runners on, moving them over, getting hits and getting runs.
“We just made things happen, and that was one of the things we really wanted to do. We capitalized on some of their mistakes. I’m proud of our guys to sticking in there and locking in.”
Cole Boyd had two hits for the Razorbacks, who play at noon Friday against either Bryant or Cabot. Those teams were rained out Sunday and will resume play at 11 a.m. today.
Will Smith, who had a 1-1 count when play was halted, worked a 1-out walk after play resumed. Kade Garmany was struck by a pitch, and Boyd ripped a ground ball into left for a single to load the bags.
An error was committed on Logan Vidrine’s fielder’s choice, allowing the tying run to score. Riley Orr’s fielder’s choice plated the third run of the inning.
John Michael Russ worked a leadoff walk, and Garmany walked two two outs before Boyd lined a RBI single to left. After the ball was thrown around, attempting to get Garmany at third, an error allowed him to score for a 5-2 lead.
A 2-out error scored another run in the third for Texarkana.
Matt Goodheart walked with one out in the fourth, and Russ belted a standup double to right-center to make it 7-2 Hogs.
Tollett walked the leadoff man in the seventh and gave up two infield hits to load the bases with no outs. An infield fly preceded a pair of strikeouts to leave the bases loaded.
Vaught stranded five in two innings, and Tollett left eight on—13 total for Fort Smith.
“You’ve got to credit those guys (Vaught and Tollett) for doing a great job,” Peavy said. “They let some runners on, which is going to happen in amateur baseball, but it was an absolute, wonderful job by Tollett to come in there and pitch seven innings of shutout baseball.”
In the bottom of the seventh, another lightning strike in the area halted play for 30 minutes.
In elimination games Sunday, Conway topped Arkadelphia, 13-2; Little Rock out-slugged Mountain Home, 13-10; Paragould nipped Sheridan, 3-2; and Russsellville beat Batesville, 8-5. Fort Smith Sportsmen 020 000 000—2 9 4 Texarkana Razorbacks 033 100 00x—7 4 1
Seth Key, Dalton Sharp (7) and Daniel Demondesert. Tanner Vaught, Kaden Tollett (3) and Kade Garmany. WP-Tollett. LP-Key.