Lions beat out Blackhawks in 10th inning

GRAVETTE -- It took 10 innings but the Lions finally got the edge over the Pea Ridge Blackhawks when Matthew Stelting hit a home run to left field and drove in Ethan Vanderpool in a back-and-forth game at Pea Ridge on April 1. The Lions finally took home a hard-earned 8-6 victory.

Gravette struck first in the top of the second when Jackson Soule doubled to left and drove in Stelting. But, before the inning was over, Pea Ridge had evened the score at one apiece.

In the bottom of the third, Pea Ridge jumped ahead with another two runs on a walk, a single and a double to left field.

But Gravette answered with two runs of its own in the top of the fourth. Boston Daniels and Vanderpool each singled and Soule brought them in with a ground-ball single to left field of his own.

Once again, Pea Ridge answered and took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the fourth when a ball got past the Gravette catcher. And things got worse for the Lions in the sixth when Pea Ridge built its lead by adding another two runs on a batter hit by a pitch and two hits.

Gravette tied things up in the top of the seventh when Daniels hit a left-field home run with two Gravette runners on base through walks. After that, it was a defensive battle, with both teams holding the other scoreless in extra innings -- that is, until Stelting hit his game-winning home run in the 10th.

Aaron Means, Brandon Shaw and Ethan Vanderpool all pitched in the game, with the win credited to Vanderpool. Means struck out five batters, Vanderpool four and Shaw two.

Daniels led the Lions in hits, with three. Daniels and Soule each had three RBIs.

Sports on 04/09/2014