GRAVETTE -- Though both teams had eight hits in the game, the Lions capitalized on theirs to bring home a 6-3 victory over the Ozark Hillbillies on Friday.
After two scoreless innings the Lions put three runners across the plate in the top of the third when Aaron Means, who reached on a fielder's choice, scored on a throw and Boston Daniels and Ethan Vanderpool made it home on a Matthew Stelting single to left field.
Ozark answered with a run in the third and another in the fourth, but Gravette added to its lead in the sixth when Stelting was hit by a pitch and later scored on a Zach Nelson line-drive single to center. Derek Pruitt, pinch runner for Nelson, made it home on a throw.
Jackson Soule hit a hard ground ball to left in the top of the seventh and moved Jace Russ, pinch runner for Vanderpool, around the bases for the Lions' sixth run of the game. Ozark answered with one more run in their final at bat, but the Hillbillies couldn't make good on two hits, a batter hit by a pitch and an error, making the final 6-3, Gravette.
Aaron Means pitched seven innings for the Lions, allowed 8 hits, 3 runs and struck out five Ozark batters.
Stelting was two for three with his bat and also had two RBIs for the Lions. Wyatt Gibbons and Vanderpool also had two hits in the game.
"I'm proud of my guys tonight for the way they battled through some tough situations," said Randall Hunt, Gravette's head coach. "We were able to put a crooked number up in the third inning that gave our starter, Aaron Means, a cushion to work with."
"But give credit to Ozark for battling back to cut the lead to 3-2 in the fifth," Hunt said.
"We had a tough judgement call from the field umpire in the sixth that could have folded us up and gave all the momentum to Ozark, but our guys stepped up and got loud and re-grouped to push two more runs in the sixth and one in the seventh to extend the lead," Hunt said. "That was the difference maker in the game for us."
The Lions are now 3-1 in conference with a couple of crucial games coming up at home against Lincoln and Berryville.
Sports on 04/16/2014