Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Cardinals Clean Sweep Panthers
FARMINGTON BLANKS SILOAM SPRINGS 4-0
SILOAM SPRINGS — Siloam Springs had plenty of base-runners on Friday, but the Panthers couldn’t get the big hit to drive any of them in.
Farmington pitchers wiggled in and out of trouble with walks and hit batsmen, but the Panthers stranded 10 runners as the Cardinals picked up a 4-0 victory in a 5A/6A District 1 baseball game at James Butts Baseball Complex.
Farmington pitchers Cade Fenton (5-1) and Kyle Gates combined on a two-hitter, but they also combined to walk eight, hit two batters and the Cardinals committed a pair of errors.
“We always make it interesting it seems like,” Farmington coach Jay Harper said. “We’ve got to pitch it better to be honest with you. We can’t walk as many and do the things that we’re doing and be successful later on in the year. We’ve got to get better at that.”
The Cardinals (14-6, 6-1) took advantage of a pair of Siloam Springs errors in the top of the first inning to score three runs.
Blake Putnam reached on an error to lead off the game and Ryan Larkin was hit by a pitch. Both advanced on a wild pitch, and Putnam scored on another Siloam Springs error.
“If we make a play here or there, maybe one run, maybe no runs,” said Siloam Springs head coach Alan Hardcastle. “I feel like the first ball that was hit was pretty routine. We just booted it and it kind of went downhill from there.”
Kelton Price drove in Larkin with an RBI triple, and he scored on an RBI hit by Logan Babak to make it 3-0
The Cardinals added another run in the third. Tyler Gregg, who finished with three hits, just missed a home run and had to settle for a double when his rocket to left center field hit off the top of the fence and bounced back into play. He advanced to third on Price’s single, but Gregg wound up getting thrown out at home during a failed run down. The Panthers committed another error on the play which allowed Price to score from second.
Farmington went quietly over the next four innings as Siloam Springs starter Chance Junkermann found a groove. He pitched all seven innings for Siloam Springs, allowing seven hits with seven strikeouts.
The Panthers, meanwhile, left runners on base in five of the seven innings, including a bases-loaded situation in the fifth.
Siloam Springs (8-10, 3-4) had three base- running mistakes where runners were caught stealing or trying to advance on balls in the dirt.
Junkermann and Eli Hawbaker were the only Panthers able to collect base hits on the day.
“We had a lot base runners,” Hardcastle said. “We just couldn’t get timely hitting. We’re putting the ball in play, but they made a lot of plays. You hit it right at them and you’ve got guys that can play their position, it makes it tough. We didn’t have a lot of good timely hitting when it came down to it.”
Fenton pitched into the fifth inning for Farmington, but he was relieved by Gates after issuing his sixth walk and third of the inning. Gates walked another batter before retiring Josh Hunt on a ground ball to leave the bases loaded.
Gates stranded two runners in the sixth and retired the Panthers in order in the seventh to finish out the victory.
“Kyle Gates did a great job of coming in and pitching well,” Harper said. “We’ll take the win.”