Lions bring down Mustangs in short game at Arvest Ballpark

Photo by Randy Moll Kyler Bunch, on the mound for Gravette, prepares to let go of a pitch during play between Gravette and McDonald Co. (Mo.) at Arvest Ballpark on March 24.
Photo by Randy Moll Kyler Bunch, on the mound for Gravette, prepares to let go of a pitch during play between Gravette and McDonald Co. (Mo.) at Arvest Ballpark on March 24.

SPRINGDALE -- Gravette High School's Lions hosted McDonald County (Mo.) in a short nonleague game at Arvest Ballpark on March 24 and, in addition to being able to play on the minor-league field, the Lions brought home an 8-4 unofficial win in preparation for conference play this week.

McDonald County's Mustangs wasted no time putting runs on the board, with two singles, a walk and the opening batter hit by a pitch. By the bottom of the first, it was 2-0, McDonald County.

But Gravette tied things up by the end of the inning, with the Lions' opening batter, Derek Pruitt, doubling to left field, Cody Fields walking and Luke Summerford and Matthew Stelting picking up singles.

In the second, the Mustangs' opening three batters went down on fly outs, two to center field and one to the shortstop.

In the bottom of the inning, Pruitt doubled again, a line drive to left field, driving in Brady Rolsma, who got on base on a second baseman's fielding error. With two outs, Jackson Soule' hit a line-drive double to right, scoring Pruitt. Fields then singled on a line drive to left, with Soule' making it to third and then scoring on the play.

The Mustangs made it a 5-4 ballgame in the top of the third, on a walk, a single and a double. And the score remained the same until the bottom of the fourth when Jake Ashworth and Fields walked, Stelting doubled on a hard ground ball to left, bringing in Ashworth and Fields. Kyler Bunch then hit a line-drive single to center, moving Stelting to third and home, making it 8-4.

A thunderstorm and rain shower cut the game short. After a delay caused by lightning, it was determined it would be too dark to resume when the lightning delay would end. McDonald County was batting in the top of the fifth, with the bases loaded and nobody out after scoring one run when the game was cut short. Gravette would have needed to finish out the top of the fifth on top for the final score to be official.

Pruitt, Bunch and Stelting each had two hits in the four-inning contest. Fields, Soule' and Summerford had one. Stelting had two RBIs in the game. One RBI each was credited to Fields, Soule', Pruitt, Bunch and Summerford.

Kyler Bunch pitched the full four innings, allowing four hits and four earned runs. He had one strike out in the game and walked two.

Sports on 04/01/2015