PRAIRIE GROVE -- Adam Ness slammed a two-run home run and a run-scoring triple as third-seeded Farmington defeated the seventh-seeded Pioneers 9-1.
Gentry out hit Farmington 9-7, but the Pioneers committed three errors and hit five Farmington batters at the plate.
Those mistakes helped Farmington score four runs on only two hits in the second inning. The Pioneers also failed to score after putting two runners on base in six of their seven innings.
"That's kind of been the crutch all year long for us," said Justin Ledbetter, the Pioneers' first-year coach. "We've left a ton of men on base. It's been one inning here, one inning there, that's killed us all year."
The tournament began on Thursday when Gentry beat Ozark 6-2 and Pea Ridge shut out Berryville 11-0 in five innings.
Gentry ended its season 3-13, while Farmington improved to 14-5 heading into Saturday's game against Prairie Grove. The Tigers won the regular-season match up, 6-5.
"It's always a heated match up and we always play close games," Farmington coach Jay Harper said. "We're in the regional now and we want to improve our seeding by beating them."
Ness put Farmington ahead with a triple after Gentry starter Keaton Austin hit a batter with a pitch. The Cardinals added four runs in the second inning with the help of a double by Jacob Thompson and two throwing errors on one play.
Ness then unloaded in the third with a two-run home run over the 365-foot mark in center field. The shot came after Trenton McChristian was hit by a pitch for the second time in three innings.
"Adam hits the ball extremely well," Harper said. "That's his eighth or ninth home run of the year. If you make a mistake with Adam, he can hit it out in any field."
Ledbetter said Friday's game showed some improvement for Gentry, which lost 13-3 to Farmington in five innings during conference play. He was also pleased with the seven hits the Pioneers collected during Thursday's first-round victory over Ozark.
"We've got a young ball club and we're trying to build a program that's been losing," Ledbetter said. "The thing I'm extremely proud of is that these kids have learned how to fight back in the past few weeks."
FARMINGTON 9
GENTRY 1
Gentry 010 000 0 -- 1 9 3 Farmington 243 000 x -- 9 7 2
Austin, Gregg (6) and Reagan; Clark, Barker (2), Cochran (2), Haag (6) and Barker, Haag. WP -- Austin. LP
-- Clark. HR -- Ness.
PEA RIDGE 5
GRAVETTE 3
The Blackhawks punched their ticket to the 4A-North Regional tournament as Tristan Trundle and Seth Brumley combined on a four-hitter.
Pea Ridge (19-4) made a four-run fourth inning stand up. Garrett Easterling was 4-for-4 and Dakota Canaday was 3-for-4 to lead the Blackhawks.
Trundle pitched 3.2 innings and allowed three hits and no earned runs to earn the win. Aaron Means took the loss for the Lions.
Sports on 05/07/2014