Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Leadoff hitter leads Pea Ridge past Greenland
GREENLAND — Logan Long had the kind of day coaches love, especially from players in the leadoff position.
Long went 4 for 4 and reached base five times to lead Pea Ridge to an 11-8 victory over Greenland in the opening game of the Jarren Sorters Memorial Baseball Tournament. Long had a triple, a double and two singles after reaching base in the first inning on a walk.
“Logan is a senior, and he’s the perfect guy as a leadoff hitter for us,” Pea Ridge Coach Matt Easterling said. “The reason he’s successful is because he’s very meticulous and his hard work is finally paying off. He’s going to put the bat on the ball and he’s starting to find his groove a little bit.”
Long was the catalyst for Pea Ridge, which strung together 11 runs between the third and sixth innings. He made an adjustment at the plate that served him well Thursday.
“I’ve been in a slump lately, and today I was focused on staying back on the ball,” Logan Long said. “So, I was trying to start my stride a little bit later, and it really helped my swing.”
Gavin Dixon pitched 5 innings and allowed 3 runs on 4 hits to earn the victory. Landon Long, Logan’s twin brother, ended the game on a strikeout with the bases loaded in the seventh inning after Greenland cut the Pea Ridge lead to 11-8.
Pea Ridge (6-3) and Greenland (6-2) traded runs until the fifth inning when the Blackhawks scored three runs on four hits to take a 7-3 lead. Logan Long hit a tworun double that fell between outfielders after No. 9 hitter Brayden Wright tied the game with an infield single that scored a run.
Pea Ridge continued to pour it on with four more runs that included an RBI triple by Logan Long in the sixth inning. Carter Jackson and Jack Stockton each finished with three hits for Greenland.
Pea Ridge had just taken a 4-3 lead over Greenland when Dixon walked the first batter in the bottom of the fourth inning. The free pass brought out Easterling, who met with Dixon on the mound. The talk seemed to help because Dixon retired the next three batters in the fourth inning and three of four batters with a strikeout in the fifth.
“[Dixon] has great stuff and I just told him to take a deep breath and control his breathing,” Easterling said. “Sometimes you have to remind him that he’s a good enough pitcher that he doesn’t have to be perfect. So, I just have to remind him sometimes that ‘hey’ your stuff is good enough. You don’t have to paint the corners with every single pitch.’”
Tournament action continues today with Greenland playing Gravette at 1 p.m. and Pea Ridge facing the NWA Hornets at 3:30 p.m. On Saturday, Greenland and the NWA Hornets play at noon followed by Pea Ridge and Gravette at 2:30 p.m.
GRAVETTE 11, NWA HORNETS 1
Gravette piled up a 10-0 lead after three innings and eased to a victory that was called in the fifth inning because of the 10-run rule.
Gravette scored four runs in both the second and third innings and scoring twice in the first. Left-hander Hunter Roughton earned the pitching win over the Northwest Arkansas Hornets, a team that includes home-school players from the area.