Mounties hang on, claim No. 1 seed
ROGERS 9, ROGERS HERITAGE 8
ROGERS — The Rogers baseball team claimed a second consecutive hard-fought, one-run win over crosstown rival Rogers Heritage on Tuesday evening at War Eagle Park, but it was quite different from Monday night’s 2-1 extra-inning victory.
Rogers took advantage some wildness by Heritage pitchers Tuesday to score nine runs in the bottom of the first inning to grab a 9-1 advantage, but needed a game-ending double play to claim a 9-8 win and clinch the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Class 6A state tournament.
Ethan Martin reached on a one-out single to put the tying run on base for Heritage in the top of the seventh. But Aidan
Linson got Luke Askew to ground into a double play to end the game and trigger the Mounties’ celebration.
Rogers (22-2, 13-1 6A-West) finishes conference play next week against Fort Smith Southside. Heritage (22-3, 113) closes league play against Fort Smith Northside.
Rogers Coach Matt Melson said his team took advantage of Heritage’s rough start, which is something the Mounties didn’t necessarily do a day earlier.
“They had a rough start to it,” Melson said. “We were fortunate to take advantage of some things. We had some quality at-bats in that first inning and ended up needing it to hang on. To their credit, they came back. I’m real proud of our guys for making the most of our opportunities in that first inning.”
It is the fifth consecutive conference titles for the Mounties, which Melson said is important for his group of seniors.
“We talk a lot about leaving an imprint and these guys have done that,” Melson said, “and have a lot to play for in the next couple weeks.
The Mounties sent 14 batters to the plate in the first inning, scoring nine runs on just four hits. Heritage pitchers issued six walks and hit a batter in the inning.
Rogers leadoff man Caleb Champion went 2 for 3 with an RBI and scored twice. Jacob Watson added a single, an RBI and scored two runs for the Mounties. Askew doubled, drove in two runs and scored one for Heritage, while Bennett Crafton singled, reached base three times and scored twice.
Heritage Coach Brian Walker said the bad start put his team in a hole early.
“It’s hard to overcome a nine-spot,” Walker said. “But they also fought back and gave themselves a chance to win. I just called them up after that tough first inning and just told them, ‘Look, we’ve got two options. We can claw and fight and see what happens or we can lay down.’ And I knew they wouldn’t because they are experienced and they competed. Rogers is really good. Credit them.”
Walker said his team will focus on the final conference games and the upcoming postseason.
“Everything is still out in front of us as far a getting a bye in the state tournament,” Walker said. “We play Northside next week. We need to regroup and just play cleaner baseball. If we play clean baseball, we’ll have an opportunity to win every game we play.”