Sensational Play Nabs Stilwell Star At Second

PRAIRIE GROVE — When Prairie Grove catcher Casey Shipley smoked Stilwell’s leadoff hitter Geremiah Nosiewater trying for second it marked an unprecedented milestone in the speedster’s baseball career.

“That guy can fly. I remember him in football. He chased down Cade Grant. He can run,” said Prairie Grove coach Mitch Cameron in the aftermath of the Tigers’ 11-7 victory on the baseball diamond Tuesday, March 9.

There’s good reason Prairie Grove fans recall Noisewater from a Sept. 23 nonconference game won by the Tigers, 48-13, at Stilwell. Geremiah Noisewater had 7 receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown.

Nosiewater tipped his hat to the Tigers for an outstanding defensive play.

“I think he said that’s the first time he’s ever been thrown out when Casey threw him out,” Cameron said.

Nosiewater got aboard in the first at-bat of the game and factored throughout the contest. He scooted around the bases to third, from whence he scored the first of two runs Stilwell scored on a Prairie Grove error, giving the visitors a 2-0 lead in the top of the first.

Freshman Conner Hubbs started on the mound. He settled down in the second, retiring the Indians in order.

Prairie Grove went to work in the bottom half of the inning and seized a lead they would not relinquish, although Stilwell rallied to forge a tie at one point.

Junior Connor McTaggert led off with a walk, then stole second and later jetted to third with freshman Jaxon Beare up. Beare struck out, but did enough to move the runner into scoring position. Junior Davis Stephens drew a walk placing runners at the corners for sophomore Tate Benoit.

McTaggert left early and nearly got caught cheating off third, but a bobbled throw allowed him to score with Stephens reaching third on the miscue. The run evened the score at 2-2 and Benoit struck out. Hubbs singled to drive in a run and Sloan Smith reached on an error that led to Prairie Grove’s fourth run and 4-2 lead.

Nosiewater singled and did his thing again floating around the bases. Hubbs struck out the second man up and induced a weak hit to shortstop that Jackson Sorters easily fielded holding Nosiewater at third.

“Here he is. C’mon, get him in,” Stilwell coach Derek Kennedy implored.

Lance Chuculate did the job, knocking the ball deep into center field on an 0-1 pitch and Nosiewater scored easily on the single trimming Prairie Grove’s lead to 4-3.

The Tigers couldn’t add any runs in their half of the inning, and gave up a leadoff single.

When Nosiewater came up he drove in the tying run by singling. The Indians still had two runners on base. That’s when Prairie Grove made what appeared as a routine play, but may have been the defensive stop of the game when Shipley threw to Jackson Sorters covering second in time to record the out and end the inning.

Feeding off energy created by the stellar defense, the Tigers went to work with their bats producing a 4-run inning.

Benoit belted a stand-up double driving in a run. Two batters later with runner poised at the corners, Smith hit into a fielder’s choice scoring another un. Shipley reached on an error which brought a Tiger run across the plate. Sorters drove in the fourth Prairie Grove run of the inning with a single into left center and the Tigers went up, 8-4.

Stilwell hit three consecutive singles and a sacrifice fly to drive in a pair of runs during the fifth inning reducing Prairie Grove’s lead to 8-6. The Tigers answered with 3 runs of their own in the bottom half of the fifth aided by a Stilwell error and back- to- back walks to load the bases. Shipley took one for the team allowing a run to walk in. Ryder Orr completed the surge by smashing a 2 RBI single which he turned into a double on a throw to the plate.

Prairie Grove assumed an 11-6 lead and gave up one run in the sixth narrowing the gap to 11-7.

The Tigers left two men on base in the sixth, then added another exploit with Chuculate getting tagged out at second while trying to turn a single into a double. Benoit fielded a grounder throwing to first for the out then issued a walk and surrendered a single to put two men on base for Stilwell. He got out of the jam by inducing a fly-ball into left center to record a save.