Losses eliminate host team from Bash

Finishing the tournament even more short- handed than it began, Hot Springs Village was unable to follow up on its first win of the season in its American Legion 2012 Baseball Bash Saturday.

Missing five regulars and down to its third catcher, Class AA HSV was held to one hit in a 9- 2 ( five innings, time limit) loss to Rose Bud ( Junior) and two in a three- inning ( run rule) 17- 1 loss to the Texarkana, Texas, Tigers ( Junior) at the Hot Springs Boys & Girls Club.

Four HSV regulars were absent for Friday night’s 5- 3 win over Sheridan, and catcher Hunter Mayfield was unavailable Saturday taking the ACT.

“It was a hodge- podge bunch of kids,” HSV coach Justin Gregory said, “and a lot of them were playing positions they’re not used to playing. Players just had to go out there. It’s hard to win that way.”

Michael Mendez had the host team’s lone hit against Rose Bud, lining a single to left field off in the third after Tyler Dauber and Colby Spoon scored on a wild pitch and throwing error. Both runners drew walks from J. R. Miller, Dauber stealing second.

Miller retired seven of the last eight HSV batters, the game ending when Spoon lined into a double play. Miller struck out five, walked three and hit a batter.

“He was hitting his spot well,” Rose Bud coach Bill Wilson said. “His off- speed pitches were working and he didn’t get behind in the count a lot.”

Justin Wilson, the coach’s son, had three hits drove in five runs, three with a secondinning double. He had RBI singles in the fourth and fifth. Miller went 2- for- 3 with two RBIs. The win was Rose Bud’s second in as many tournament games, but it fell into the loser’s bracket later Saturday with a 19- 5 loss to Oklahoma City. Rose Bud plays

relentlessly closed the gap and won by a neck.

The 5- 2 second choice behind Dullahan, Union Rags covered the 1 1/ 2 miles in 2: 30.42. The colt owned by Phyllis Wyeth returned $ 7.50, $ 4.20 and $ 3.40. Paynter paid $ 5.10 and $ 3.90. Atigun was third and paid $ 10.60.

“It was my dream and he made it come true,” said Wyeth, wheelchair- bound as the result of a 1962 car accident in which she broke her neck. “Nobody would have gotten through on the rail other than Johnny. That was unbelievable. He just said, ‘ Move over, I’m coming.’ He believed in the horse and Michael got him there.”